


Operation Miroh | Stray Kids Mafia! AU

by lucario55076



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bad attempt at humor, F/M, Mafia AU, Mafia Stray Kids, Stray Kids Mafia AU, reader - Freeform, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-04 13:55:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 45
Words: 86,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucario55076/pseuds/lucario55076
Summary: Everything explained in the BEFORE YOU READIn a dystopian world full of blights, a group of Strays does whatever it takes to stay safe... but is "whatever it takes" enough to stay safe?**Will have mentions of WJ in the story but know that this WJ is written as a character, not to reflect the real world.





	1. BEFORE YOU READ

~Cross posted on Wattpad and tumblr ~

This Mafia! AU is a work of fiction. Please know that all names used in this fanfiction did not partake in any of the activities present in this storytelling. This fanfiction is a work of fiction used for entertainment purposes.  
(Please don’t sue me JYP)

Hey Stays! I am one of the newer Stays joining this lovely fandom. I hope you accept me <3  
This is going to be my contribution to the Stray Kids Mafia! AU tag. This story will be very...different. (I hope). It is going to be a very reader interactive story.

The readers will have a vote every few chapters that will dictate the direction of the story.

So a few warnings before I post the first character profile picture.  
1\. I am a very ... particular writer. I do not like “spoon feeding” the readers the nitty gritty details. Since this is a reader interactive story, it will be your job to look for the small details and cast your decisions based on this info you dig up. The info can be painfully obvious or cryptic, so take notes? and refer back to the stat page and character profiles. Your votes and decisions WILL affect the story’s direction.  
2.As it is a reader driven story, UPDATES WILL BE SLOW, but I will try to work on it dutifully to present a piece I am proud of. I pride quality over quantity

Votes: The votes will be explained in more detail when we get to it.

The votes will not come into play for the first 10 chapters.  
The first 9 chapters will be character profile chapters for each of the Stray Kids members. These chapters will dictate either their personality, background, roles in the mafia or a mix of any of these,  
At the end of these 9 chapters are character stats. I highly suggest you look at these stats before casting your votes.  
Your decisions will have consequences.  
The 10th chapter will be an introduction into my take of the Stray Kids Mafia! AU. This chapter will be labeled as “Chapter 1” while the character profiles will be “Chapters 0.1-0.9”  
Chapter 2 will be where the votes begin

Another noteworthy thing I will add is that the “Reader” will be a physical character in this story (obviously). Even though this is a Mafia! AU, there will be romance. The “Reader” will ultimately end up with one of the SKZ member.

Happy Reading! Happy voting!  
May the odds be ever in your favor!  
Remember, your decisions will have consequences.


	2. Voting Rules

Author’s Note: PLEASE use the character profiles and statistics as reference when casting your votes  
(or vote for your bias, that’s fine too)

1\. You can only vote once per voting session (obviously). You can vote in the comments or DMs. (If you’re voting in DMs, PLEASE dictate what chapter you’re voting. Without this specification, I will NOT count your vote. This is to prevent votes from previous sessions from influencing the current session. )

2\. Rule of 3: Once you vote for a certain member, he will NOT be available until three other members have gone. This should help encourage to put more thought into their decisions.

If you have any questions, please DM me or comment. I will try to explain everything as clear as possible. I will make a FAQ if I get a lot of questions.

Sept 10, 2019 edit  
I was today years old when I figured out that DMs are not a thing on this site LMAO.  
If you wanna DM me, tumblr or instagram. Lmao. It's the same as my username


	3. Overall Statistics

Close Quarter Combat: The ability to hold themselves in a fight in close proximity  
1\. Lee Felix  
2\. Kim Woojin  
3\. Bang Chan  
4\. Seo Changbin  
5\. Kim Seungmin  
6\. Hwang Hyunjin  
7\. Lee Minho  
8\. Han Jisung  
9\. Yang Jeongin

Sharpshooter: The ability to wield a firearm. Adeptness to a variety of weapons and a mastery of one specific weapon will affect the ranking.  
1\. Seo Changbin  
2\. Lee Felix  
3\. Yang Jeongin  
4\. Bang Chan  
5\. Han Jisung  
6\. Kim Seungmin  
7\. Lee Minho  
8\. Kim Woojin  
9\. Hwang Hyunjin

Stealth: The ability to sneak in and out without being seen or heard. Their full kit (weapons and ordnance) affects ranking. (* = can be interchanged)  
1\. Han Jisung  
2\. Lee Minho  
3\. Lee Felix  
4\. Yang Jeongin *  
5\. Bang Chan *  
6\. Hwang Hyunjin  
7\. Kim Woojin  
8\. Seo Changbin  
9\. Kim Seungmin

Escapist: Highest to lowest success rate of a successful escape when thrusted into a situation where it is run or die. Fighting is NOT an option. Their kit (weapons and ordnance) affects ranking.  
1\. Han Jisung  
2\. Lee Minho  
3\. Bang Chan  
4\. Hwang Hyunjin  
5\. Kim Seungmin  
6\. Seo Changbin  
7\. Yang Jeongin  
8\. Kim Woojin  
9\. Lee Felix

Fitness (Physical Strength): Kits (weapons and ordnance) do not affect ranking.  
1\. Kim Woojin  
2\. Seo Changbin  
3\. Hwang Hyunjin  
4\. Kim Seungmin  
5\. Bang Chan  
6\. Lee Felix  
7\. Lee Minho  
8\. Yang Jeongin  
9\. Han Jisung

Fitness (Stamina): How long they can run or how long they can endure a physically arduous fight. Kits (weapons and ordnance) do not affect ranking.  
1\. Yang Jeongin  
2\. Han Jisung  
3\. Hwang Hyunjin  
4\. Bang Chan  
5\. Lee Felix  
6\. Kim Seungmin  
7\. Seo Changbin  
8\. Lee Minho  
9\. Kim Woojin

Fitness (Speed): How fast they can run. Kits (weapons and ordnance) do not affect ranking.  
1\. Lee Minho  
2\. Yang Jeongin  
3\. Kim Seungmin  
4\. Bang Chan  
5\. Han Jisung  
6\. Hwang Hyunjin  
7\. Lee Felix  
8\. Kim Woojin  
9\. Seo Changbin

Intelligence: (*= can be interchanged)  
1\. Bang Chan  
2\. Kim Woojin  
3\. Hwang Hyunjin  
4\. Kim Seungmin *  
5\. Lee Minho *  
6\. Seo Changbin  
7\. Han Jisung  
8\. Yang Jeongin  
9\. Lee Felix

Individual Stats

Kim Woojin:  
CQC: 2nd  
Sharpshooter: 8th  
Stealth: 7th  
Escapist: 8th  
Physical Strength: 1st  
Stamina: 9th  
Speed: 8th  
Intelligence: 2nd

Bang Chan:  
CQC: 3rd  
Sharpshooter: 4th  
Stealth: 4th/5th  
Escapist: 3rd  
Physical Strength: 5th  
Stamina: 4th  
Speed: 4th  
Intelligence: 1st

Lee Minho:  
CQC: 7th  
Sharpshooter: 7th  
Stealth: 2nd  
Escapist: 2nd  
Physical Strength: 7th  
Stamina: 8th  
Speed: 1st  
Intelligence: 4th/5th

Seo Changbin:  
CQC: 4th  
Sharpshooter: 1st  
Stealth: 8th  
Escapist: 6th  
Physical Strength: 2nd  
Stamina: 7th  
Speed: 9th  
Intelligence: 6th

Hwang Hyunjin:  
CQC: 6th  
Sharpshooter: 9th  
Stealth: 6th  
Escapist: 4th  
Physical Strength: 3rd  
Stamina: 3rd  
Speed: 6th  
Intelligence: 3rd

Han Jisung:  
CQC: 8th  
Sharpshooter: 5th  
Stealth: 1st  
Escapist: 1st  
Physical Strength: 9th  
Stamina: 2nd  
Speed: 5th  
Intelligence: 7th

Lee Felix:  
CQC: 1st  
Sharpshooter: 2nd  
Stealth: 3rd  
Escapist: 9th  
Physical Strength: 6th  
Stamina: 5th  
Speed: 7th  
Intelligence: 9th

Kim Seungmin:  
CQC: 5th  
Sharpshooter: 6th  
Stealth: 9th  
Escapist: 5th  
Physical Strength: 4th  
Stamina: 6th  
Speed: 3rd  
Intelligence: 4th/5th

Yang Jeongin:  
CQC: 9th  
Sharpshooter: 3rd  
Stealth: 4th/5th  
Escapist: 7th  
Physical Strength: 8th  
Stamina: 1st  
Speed: 2nd  
Intelligence: 8th


	4. 0.1: The First Bang Christopher Chan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Slight Violence? Major character injury

Bang Chan had always been special, extraordinary even. He knew, so did everyone else. They had always pushed him to be the best he can be so, they set obstacles and goals -many of them even- but Bang Chan surpassed them all without breaking a sweat. Soon enough he was able to do multivariable calculus by the age of 10.  
Eventually, they were tired of handing books after books of various subjects and decided to avert his attention elsewhere: athletic activities.  
Low and behold. Extraordinary Bang Chan strikes again, racking up medal after medal, trophies after trophies in a variety of different sports. By high school, he had at least a bookshelf of awards for swimming, track and field, basketball and more.  
He then turned towards other activities feeling bored with his rapid success in varying sports. He then took up music, quickly mastering the piano and guitar. He even dabbled in dancing, mastering ballet and modern dance.  
Bang Chan was tired of success. He wanted to know what it was like to struggle, to fail.  
Soon enough, what he would log for would come into fruition.  
Bang Chan was at a firing range, an upgrade from archery in which he quickly mastered. Bang Chan was minding his own business after donning his protective muffle over his ears. He easily fiddled with the intricate parts of the hunting rifle and loading in each individual round.  
A few tables down stood a couple of right mongs posing for instagram shots with complete disregard of safety. One of which dropped their rifle with the safety off and a round was released from the barrel.  
Right into Bang Chan’s knee.  
Out of commission for a while, Bang Chan set off to his own devices. In bed with his leg propped up on a pillow, he played with the apps on his laptop. He very quickly got bored of continuously beating the AI set on “expert” in chess and the hardest difficulty of Minesweeper. Tossing his laptop to the side, he let out a loud sigh as his eyes scanned the room. There were stacks upon stacks of textbooks of varying subjects scattered across. However, there was a singular book that caught his attention, a coding book, in an untouched pile he never got around to due to his transition into sports.  
Right then and there within the walls of his room, he fell in love. A new activity that would claw within the boundaries of his mind. A new found feeling of struggle and overcoming the hurdle was addicting.  
Bang Chan started with simple 1s and 0s.  
To hacking his WiFi ridding himself of the pointless internet restrictions his parents set.  
To hacking his school’s database to change his dear friend, Felix’s, abysmal grades.  
To police databases.  
And now, classified government databases.  
It proved a challenge, but it was addicting. There was a risk of being caught, but he didn’t care. He finally enjoyed something in life.  
And he wanted more.

Bang Chan Character Stats  
CQC: 3rd  
Sharpshooter: 4th  
Stealth: 4th/5th  
Escapist: 3rd  
Physical Strength: 5th  
Stamina: 4th  
Speed: 4th  
Intelligence: 1st


	5. 0.2: The Second Han Jisung

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: swearing

Warnings: Swearing

Han Jisung is a little shit.  
He is an evil little shit.  
Worst of all, he’s good at it.

For as long as he can remember, he has a knack of getting his way and whatever he wants whenever he wants at all costs.  
You know what else he has a knack for?  
Getting away with it.

With his big doe eyes and chubby cheeks along with how he’s able to string his words together like honey would have almost every adult cooing over him.

As he got older, his chubby cheeks never left him and his ability to weave an intricate lie was unmatched.

He learned the art of pickpocketing and swiping some loose cash from some gullible students. Whenever he’s been accused, he’d sweet talk his way out and he’s let off with some spare cash and no punishment while the other party gets detention for slander.

He seems to enjoy what he does, but does he really?

In all honesty, he seems to only enjoy having money and will do whatever it takes to acquire it.

Soon it evolved from pickpocketing and sweet words.  
Now it’s straight up a demand with a faux innocent looks and rough handling when they don’t cough up.

But he still gets away with it.

Several times he’s been detained for robbery and assault, but the police never seen to have enough to detain him.

His intricate lies were perfectly molded into an inexcusable perfect airtight alibi when he smoothly gave out his honey laced testimony.

And every single time, he stuck out his tongue.

Han Jisung Character Stats  
CQC: 8th  
Sharpshooter: 5th  
Stealth: 1st  
Escapist: 1st  
Physical Strength: 9th  
Stamina: 2nd  
Speed: 5th  
Intelligence: 7th


	6. Chapter 0.3 The Third Kim Woojin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: None

Kim Woojin is the perfect child.

Woojin is an outstanding student. He’s a bit of a bookworm; he is never seen without his earbuds or his nose in a book. He always got high marks in every exam due to his studious nature. 

He was also a rich kid, an heir to his father’s business. He was well behaved more or less and he always dressed formally and professionally.

However, as perfect as he seems. He’s never good enough. No matter his studious nature, high marks and a somewhat decent relationship with his professors, he’s a hard stuck second.

Second to the one and only Bang Christopher Chan.

And because of that, he isn’t good enough in his father’s eyes. After all, the men in their family were always first.

Woojin was never particularly fond of people as hinted by his earbuds. People only care about what he was not who he was. Women typically fawned over him for his money or looks. Due to his title or hair to one of the biggest companies in Korea and maybe the world, there have been baseless accusations about how he’s merely a spoiled rich kid who throws money at his problems or he kisses up to his father.

But to be frank, he didn’t care about the money or the position. He didn’t even flinch when a certain squirrel like pickpocketer swiped Woojin of his c=pocket cash. He simply let it be figuring the boy have more need of it than he.

Mainly, Woojin wanted a friend, but who would’ve guessed that his class ranking rival would be the one who melts Woojin’s cold heart?

Kim Woojin Character Stats  
CQC: 2nd  
Sharpshooter: 8th  
Stealth: 7th  
Escapist: 8th  
Physical Strength: 1st  
Stamina: 9th  
Speed: 8th  
Intelligence: 2nd


	7. Chapter 0.4 The Fourth Seo Changbin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Major Character, Light Swearing

There’s too rich with strict parents and then there’s too rich with practically nonexistent supervision.

Seo Changbin was the latter and the well known Kim Woojin as the former.

Changbin did he pleased and tended to his “dark” persona. He used his money to style his hair with a side part and a fade, don his body with black clothing and lots of accessories. 

He also had quite a collection. He owned plenty of firearms and a grand knife collection. He keeps a silver pocket knife on him at all times partially for self defense but mainly because he loves it. 

He spent most of his free time at the firing range. So much that he practically lives there. He loves the feel of the cool metal in his hands, the smell of gunpowder and the adrenaline rush he feels with the gun’s recoil. Additionally he finds amusement in the dumb decisions and poor performance from random mongs posing for a pic.

His personal favorite was when some guy’s knee got capped. 

Changbin always had a love for firearms.  
He wanted, no, he NEEDED more.   
The legally acquired guns were getting too mundane, so he went to the black market quickly picking up an AK and a RPG.  
He was surprisingly indifferent to the illegal stuff happening in the black market. Several gun dealers he’d seen looked so rugged with scars and tattoos littering their bodies. They sneered at him to go back home and asking if he had a bedtime as they snickered to each other. Changbin quickly shut them up with a fat wad of cash and a smirk. It only took two wads before the dealers showed him the secret stash.

As intimidating and rugged as the dealers seemed which were fitting, there was one particular dealer he was weird out by. He had a baby face and a bright smile with braces decorating his pearly whites. He looked young, too young. His hair looked to be freshly dyed red. Changbin very quietly bought a .50 caliber sniper rifle from the kid and the kid cheerfully bidded his thanks and asked him to come again. 

Changbin made note to come again.  
No questions asked.  
That and… he thought the baby faced kid was cute.

Not as cute as the eye widening wares he had - several .50 cal snipers and 3 bladed knives. Many of them were inhumane.  
And Changbin loved it.

He found out that the kid adored rifles, particularly sniper rifles. He couldn’t give a damn about money. Changbin can trade a regular ass hunting rifle for a .50 cal  
And they both were ok with it.

Seo Changbin Character Stats  
CQC: 4th  
Sharpshooter: 1st  
Stealth: 8th  
Escapist: 6th  
Physical Strength: 2nd  
Stamina: 7th  
Speed: 9th  
Intelligence: 6th


	8. Chapter 0.5 The Fifth Hwang Hyunjin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Minor Character Death

Hwang Hyunjin is such a mommy's boy.

Hwang Hyunjin is the son of one of the most successful surgeons in the world.

Hyunjin was proud of his mom. He aspired to be like her and follow in her footsteps. He indulged in his mom’s old med school notes and textbooks from a very young age. By his preteens, he was very knowledgeable in biology, chemistry and human anatomy. He can expertly name how different substances interact with different body organs.

However, all Hyunjin wanted was to be like his mom, but his mom wasn’t having it. Every single time Hyunjin went to her fascinated by something new he learned, his mom would rebuff hsi statement, taking the wind out of his sails. 

“You’ll never be a good doctor. You won’t save lives, you’ll take them. You’ll be the death of them.”

Hyunjin never gave up determined to hold onto this dream of his. He took up engineering as a ploy to hide his true desires to be a medic. Whenever, he bids his mom farewell to work on his engineering project, he actually began experimenting.

Hyunjin has gotten so very far. His engineering and side chemistry hobbies had given all he had needed.

Hwang Hyunjin was able to concoct remedies that are more potent in smaller doses yet have a higher effectiveness and success rate than standard medicine.

Hyunjin became obsessed. He was mommy’s boy after all. Not only had he concocted near perfect remedies, but he harbored the ability to make concoctions able to kill so perfectly and effectively leaving no traces.

And it all started with his mom.

A perfect death. A perfect murder.  
No Physical outward or inward trauma.  
No organs suddenly cease to function in an unnatural way.  
A squeaky clean tox screen.

It was perfect.  
He was perfect.  
He got away with it. The autopsy ruled the death to be natural due to the lack of abnormalities and settled on cardiac arrest as a result of work stress and single handedly raising a child as a single mom.

Hyunjin wanted more.  
He knew he could save so many lives, but all he wanted was to take lives.

Hwang Hyunjin was truly a mommy's boy.

Hwang Hyunjin Character Stats  
CQC: 6th  
Sharpshooter: 9th  
Stealth: 6th  
Escapist: 4th  
Physical Strength: 3rd  
Stamina: 3rd  
Speed: 6th  
Intelligence: 3rd


	9. Chapter 0.6 The Sixth Yang Jeongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Triggering topics, Child Abuse, Graphic descriptions of blood and violence, Minor Character Deaths

It’s really hard.

Life’s really hard for Jeongin.

However, he hides the fact that he’s struggling.

He’s always smiling.

Because if he didn’t, he’ll get beat.

His dad was never the same after the accident.

Jeongin goes about his day, picking back up the fallen picture and returning it to its rightful place without sparing a single glance at it.

His father was a bit of a megalomaniac. He was the boss of the house. He also ran a successful trade in the black market selling and dealing dangerous and inhumane illegal weapons.

Jeongin smiled through it all: 

the death threats towards him from his father’s enemies, 

the stalking, 

the abuse.

If his smile falters, if he weeps even slightly. He’s going to get it.

Day by day, he picked up the picture again and returning it to its rightful place.

One day, his father came home drunk.

Jeongin stood there with a polite smile as blue and purple bruises decorated his face. He kept smiling as he pulled out the kitchen table chair for his father to sit. They sat opposite of each other; his father was spewing out drunken rage towards him. Jeongin sat quietly eating his dinner, the smile still on his face.

“It’s all your fault!” Jeongin looked up to his father. 

“You’re being too loud. You’re scaring me,” his father slurred mockingly.

“Jeongin, it’s all your fault your mother walked off!” He stood up tossing the table to the side. Jeongin quickly jolted up and backed up slowly. His smile faltered slightly.

~

“Be good, Jeongin,” that was her last words.

“Be strong for mommy, don’t ever let that smile die.”

~

Jeongin’s father picked up an empty bottle, one of many that littered the floor. He stormed towards the boy with the bottle raised menacingly. All Jeongin could do was stare deeply into the eyes on the picture behind his father.

~

“Mommy’s going to go,” that’s the last thing Jeongin remembered of her. It was the last thing he remembered before the accident, before she walked into oncoming traffic and getting hit by an oncoming semi.

~

Jeongin had a tight grip on the knife he had hidden behind his back, the knife that previously rested on the kitchen table. His father lunged at Jeongin with the bottle. Jeongin easily side stepped his drunk father and deeply embedded the knife into the side of his neck. Jeongin forced the knife further down before pulling it out completely. Blood erupted from the wound. Red spewed everywhere: down his father’s neck, over the walls, down to the floor, all over Jeongin.

_ If only pictures can weep. _

Jeongin’s father slumped to the floor lifeless. The shaking from the impact was enough to knock the picture over. The picture of the once happy family. The picture of Jeongin’s mother and father lovingly cuddling Jeongin. The picture seemed to fall into slow motion. The frame made contact with the floor as cracks ran through the glass. The picture, now broken and shattered. Never to be picked up again.

Jeongin ran his bloody hand through his hair, brushing it out of his eyes, dying the blond strands a brilliant red.

Jeongin still had the smile on his face.

**Yang Jeongin Character Stats**

CQC: 9th

Sharpshooter: 3rd

Stealth: 4th/5th

Escapist: 7th

Physical Strength: 8th

Stamina: 1st

Speed: 2nd

Intelligence: 8th


	10. Chapter 0.7 The Seventh Lee Minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Light Swearing

Lee Minho is tired. He’s sick of it. He’s sick and tired of always being unseen and unacknowledged. It doesn’t matter what he does. It doesn’t matter what group or organization he joins, he’s always just a minor character, a figure in the background, a silhouette with no face.

He’s an only child, but his parents don’t acknowledge him. They’re too busy being involved with each other or carrying on with their day. Not a single glance, not a single acknowledgement or hello, not a single “how are you?”

Minho decided to join his campus’ chemistry club and volunteered in the labs. He loved it. He still loves it. He enjoys playing with the various chemicals. He enjoys seeing how they react with each other.

He suddenly enjoys being unseen and unacknowledged. It gave him freedom. Freedom to act upon his own desires. Freedom to play with the more dangerous chemicals and solvents. With the help of a certain squirrel like little shit, he’s able to steal from his campus’ labs and storage and get away with it cleanly.

He took up shop in one of the campus' many deserted buildings. There were hardly any faculty or cleaning staff and certainly no students. He shared the dark basement with some medic and engineering student. They never spoke, the extent of their interactions was a subtle nod to each other of acknowledgement and mutual understanding.

They were both definitely doing shady and most definitely illegal stuff.

Admittedly, he most enjoyed the more gaseous reactions. He enjoyed creating smoke in particular. He did accidentally set off the building’s smoke detector once much to his and his mutual's annoyance. However, a careful and subtle acquaintance with the campus’ top student and genius with crutches and a heavily casted and splinted knee proved fruitful. Neither he or his medic/engineer mutual expected the top student to have such a shady and illegal hobby behind his squeaky clean image. Since then, the cameras and every electric safety equipment have been disabled leaving him and his mutual to continue on peacefully.  
He went back to experimenting and playing with chemicals. He finds the dense gaseous reactions to be extremely satisfying.  
He wondered if he can make more. He wondered if he could make them bigger.

He did. It started with colored smoke to stink bombs. His mutual was annoyed initially, but he quietly fashioned the both of them an effective gas filtration mask thanks to his extensive knowledge on engineering.

Soon Minho wanted more. Something bigger, better and more chaotic.

Lee Minho has successfully, albeit accidentally, created a poison gas that was unheard of and undiscovered.

He would’ve died if it weren’t for his mutual’s quick thinking. The medic/engineer’s experimental remedy concoction not only saved his life, but also granted him immunity to the poison Minho has just concocted.

He later discovered, it made him immune to the later and more lethal concoctions he made.

He loved it.

Once upon a time, he hated being a silhouette. Now he loved it; being able to be seen yet unseen. It gave him so much power and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

By the time you see him, it will be too late. He may disappear in a puff of smoke like a mirage or you may breathe your last breath.

Lee Minho Character Stats  
CQC: 7th  
Sharpshooter: 7th  
Stealth: 2nd  
Escapist: 2nd  
Physical Strength: 7th  
Stamina: 8th  
Speed: 1st  
Intelligence: 4th/5th


	11. Chapter 0.8 The Eighth Kim Seungmin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Major Character Injury, Light Swearing

Kim Seungmin has always been a chaotic evil. He enjoys destroying stuff much to his childhood friend’s, Felix, dismay whose block towers and sand castles have fallen victim to Seungmin’s destruction.

As he got older, his love for destruction never left him. At a tender age of 10, Seungmin experienced fireworks. He couldn’t help himself from sneaking a firecracker deep within Felix’s block tower.

Seungmin got a broken arm that day courtesy of the resident freckled Australian.

When Seungmin went into university, he joined the chemistry club after discovering his love or several different metal oxides from dismantling every firework he owned.

Seungmin was by no means an idiot. (Unlike Felix.) Seungmin was practically a math genius practically rivaling the Australian cripple and barely surpassing the genius rich kid. Seungmin would be higher up on the class rankings, but he wasn’t as well knowledged in the other subjects as the top 2. Combining this as well as his chemistry knowledge, Seungmin was able to calculate the different amount of elements, their molarity and isotopes to create a reaction of various degrees and potency at will on the fly.

Even though Seungmin was thoroughly in awe with the reactions he’s able to create, Seungmin has a very well adapted near vision. He’s able to notice all the little details. He noticed how certain chemicals and elements go missing. He noticed some chemistry nut who seemed to enjoy gas make a subtle gesture to the resident pickpocketer. He noticed how the little shit has been swiping several chemicals with a sleight of hand. Impressive Seungmin must admit, but not impressive enough to escape Seungmin’s calculative gaze. Seungmin had a brilliant idea.  
Seungmin cornered the pickpocketer one day.

“Listen here, you little shit,” Seungmin smirked smacking his arm by his head against the wall fully pinning the squirrel like boy. Seungmin caught him stealing a few bucks from the school campus 2nd ranking rich kid. He tried to sweet talk Seungmin, but Seungmin’s natural knack for inductive and deductive reasoning granted immunity towards his honey words.

He had successfully blackmailed the blackmailer.

In exchange for silence, the squirrel now stole metal oxides for Seungmin.

He made a delicate acquaintance with the smoke obsessed chemistry student and through him, a medic/engineering student. The three awkwardly agreed to share the basement space in exchange for each other’s silence.  
Seungmin was getting bored of the weak campus oxides. One night while heading home from his rather explosive experiments, he noticed one of the rich kids on campus who practically only owned black clothing trying to hide a RPG. He did a splendid job hiding it Seungmin noted, but not good enough to escape Seungmin’s gaze.

Seungmin has successfully acquired a second blackmail victim.

Seungmin formed a delicate friendship with the rich kid’s dealer. He saw pain hidden behind the bright smile, but he never mentioned it.

Seungmin made a proposal. The red head agreed. Custom made rifles for explosives and gunpowder. He started seeing a genuine smile from the redhead.

Seungmin smiled. He was now able to make bigger and better explosions from such a seemingly small amount of reactants.  
Unlike his chemistry acquaintance, Seungmin did not need to experiment

Seungmin knows it will be perfect, because it is.

Seungmin knows no good can come from his hobby, but it made him happy. That’s all that mattered to him.

Kim Seungmin Character Stats  
CQC: 5th  
Sharpshooter: 6th  
Stealth: 9th  
Escapist: 5th  
Physical Strength: 4th  
Stamina: 6th  
Speed: 3rd  
Intelligence: 4th/5th


	12. Chapter 0.9 The Ninth Lee Felix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Major Character Injury, Light Swearing, Graphic descriptions of Violence

Felix has always been athletically inclined and his grades sure showed it. He always skipped out on homework to go to his martial arts practices. 

The only reason why he hasn’t had the fattest F yet is because Felix isn’t that much of a dumbass. He may be street dumb, but not school dumb. He passes his exams, he just never does his homework. (That and he has a fellow Australian homie to do his homework for him.)

He’s been like this since he was a child. The reason for this is that he discovered that he’s gifted in martial arts. Very much so that he picked up his first black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 8, reaching 3rd degree by the age of 10. Since then, he’s been getting more and more belts and medals in karate and judo. Recently he's been dabbling in Kendo quickly reaching 4th dan. He formed a delicate friendship with another student who’s almost as gifted as him. He actually kept up with Felix. They never spoke face to face, hell they didn’t even know each other’s names. They just smiled and bowed slightly before proceeding to spar.

When Felix entered university, he was shocked to find out that his respected partner was a goody two shoes who ranked 2nd; perfect grades and high marks galore.

Felix is still debating if he still respected him or not. Felix was still on the fence, but decided to let him slide since his closest Australian friend was ranked first and his other close friend who liked testing Felix’s patience was practically a math genius.

Felix was a bit of a troublemaker. He practically lived in detention. He picked fights, though not really by choice. He’d often get suckered into being a “get out of jail free card” for a certain squirrel like little shit. Whenever the stupid squirrel got himself into a sticky situation, Felix would save his ass by beating up the dudes threatening the squirrel. If not, he would rat on Felix for turning in homework he never did. Felix usually wouldn't care, but this would be bad news for his Aussie bro so Felix reluctantly agreed. 

Chan chastises Felix frequently for constantly picking fights and going into detention. Felix feels guilty for always hiding the truth from his close friend. Every time Chan chastises him, Felix rebuffs Chan’s worried gaze and questioning with a shrug. 

Felix pushed past Chan and picked up one of the rented rifles. Like Chan, Felix also picked up on the art of firearms, even out shooting Chan on multiple occasions. Chan sighed and took up a spot next to Felix. 

That day did not end well.

Chan ended up in the hospital with a bullet in his knee. Felix beat up the dumbasses posing for pictures to a bloody pulp.

Felix felt exhilarated. It was right then and there he found a new love. He loved beating the life out of the idiots who shot Chan a little too much. He enjoyed seeing their pale skin become red, bruised and battered. He enjoyed the feeling of their nose shattering under his knuckles, he enjoyed the sound and the blood wayyyy too much. 

Initially he was blackmailed into picking fights, now he practically went to Jisung itching for a fight.

Felix may be stupid and insane. Mainly stupid.

But he couldn't care less.

**Lee Felix Character Stats**

CQC: 1st

Sharpshooter: 2nd

Stealth: 3rd

Escapist: 9th

Physical Strength: 6th

Stamina: 5th

Speed: 7th

Intelligence: 9th


	13. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Violence? , Major Character Injury

It was dark. The room was relatively quiet. The only noises that pierce through the silence was the beeping of the heart monitors and the light pattering of rain against the window with the occasional thundering.

You lie silently in your hospital bed. In the months you’ve been bedridden, you’ve formed somewhat of a delicate friendship with a patient who was your neighbor.

You didn’t know their name and they didn’t know yours. You both also didn’t know each other’s appearance with both your bodies heavily bandaged from the incident months before.

It was the same old same old. Your “friend” was peacefully sleeping beside you and the primary doctor, along with a nurse checking on your condition.

이필릭스

However, you see the nurse being taken away. A hand muffling and pulling her away. The doctor continues on without realizing what’s happening behind him. The figure reappeared, now behind the doctor cutting him off mid sentence with a metal wire wrapped tightly around his neck. Light choking noises escaped his lips as he was taken away into the darkness.

The figure came back into the light making his way towards the side of your bed. He swings his leg over your body carefully and slowly eases his weight down on you straddling you.  
You take a look at his face taking in his features. His blond hair was carefully styled and swept to the side. Delicate freckles decorated his face, a small smile formed on his lips as his eyes turned into slight crescents. He delicately caresses your cheek. You revel in his warmth. 

Suddenly Felix was shoved off you. Your “friend” sent him tumbling onto a nearby cart. A loud crash echoed through the silent room.

Felix stood up without a single word and ensued the fight. The word was putting it lightly. Your “friend” was merely pushing and pulling Felix due to their physical injuries, and Felix just takes it.

At some point during the scuffle, you fall off your bed yearning for Felix’s warmth. You wince in pain; your eyes screwing shut. You see Felix getting domed with a metal tray.

Your eyes close once more.

Your eyes open.  
A glass bottle shatters. Felix is completely drenched in rubbing alcohol. Felix grabbed your “friend” by the collar of their hospital gown and throws them over their bed into a different metal cart.

Your eyes screw shut once more.

You wince.

Pain. That’s all you can feel.

You hiss as pain coursed through your body causing you to writhe and roll on the floor.

Screams.

Was it yours? You can’t tell.

It was Felix.

Your eyes open once more. Felix’s small body was engulfed in flames. Felix stumbles and staggers bumping into the wall, a desk, then eventually rolling on the floor in a dire attempt to extinguish the flames.

Your “friend” grabbed Felix, quickly incapacitating him in Felix fit of weakness. He then tossed him out the window. You hear glass shattering as Felix was thrown out the window and the start of an oncoming thunderstorm.

리노

You and your “friend” tried to escape from the room. Upon entering the hallway, you heard a loud series of crashes ahead and behind you. Pipes were bursting. Piping hot steam filled the long hallways. Your "friend” supported your weight as they slung your arm across their shoulders as they led you down the steamy hallway. 

At the end of the hallway, an ominous figure appeared, a ghastly silhouette. A brunette appeared, his visage hidden by a custom made gas mask. Only his eyes were visible. In his hand, there was a delicate glass container filled with an unknown liquid. Once shattered and agitated, it will create a gaseous reaction- a lethal concoction.

황현진

Your “friend” swiftly redirected you down an adjacent hallway in a desperate attempt to escape. At the end stood another figure. A honey brown haired male donned in a skin tight white with black accents attire. An outfit carefully engineered to improve aerodynamics. On his shoulders lied an unconscious body, a certain blond freckled boy. He was fully healed with skin free of blemishes and scarring. There was no evidence of the Aussie being set on fire other than his burnt clothes showing otherwise.

The black haired man raised his chin narrowing his eyes. A threat. Felix is a physical reminder of what your “friend” had done. Your “friend” fucked up and they knew. They panicked and shove you down another hallway.

You make eye contact with the man in white. His eyes show disappointment and empathy. Disappointment of the hospital's poor efforts of medically treating you, a silent promise to do better.

김우진

Your “friend” pulls you down the hallway sprinting as fast as they could while supporting   
your weight. You both reach the double doors at the end. Your “friend” attempts to push the door open. Locked.

A hand smacks against the window. Your “friend” jump in reaction.

A face appears in the window. A menacing smirk was present on his face.

He begins breaking down the doors using his shoulders to ram the door repeatedly. The wood easily creaked and moaned under the brute strength of the man. The splintering of the wood snapped your “friend” out of their frightened daze.

방찬

Your “friend” grabs your arm and doubles back down the hallway. Soft whirring can be heard. The overhead camera was following your every move. You smiled softly towards the red light glowing by the lens.

Your “friend” cursed under their breath noticing the camera.

김승민

They pushed you through a door into a dark room. The room was filled with several gurneys occupied by other victims of the incident. White sheets were hung up separating each one. Your “friend” pushed you behind one of the gurneys. 

The sound of sheets being haphazardly torn from the ceiling broke the silence.The curtain rings were scraping deafeningly loud against the metal bars that held them.

A flashlight quickly scanned over your area. Your figures were hidden safely in the shadows.

Seungmin’s face was illuminated briefly inching dangerously closer. A groaning in the background caught his attention promoting him to turn away and head towards the noise.

양정인

Your “friend” grabbed your arms and silently made a mad dash towards the door opposite if you.

You both find yourselves in a hallway lined with windows. Each window was open; the curtains fluttered softly in the wind.

You let out a frustrated exhale from being repeatedly being taken away by your “friend.” They turned towards you, their exposed lips from their bandaged face opened in worry. Before a word can be said, a loud shot cracked through the silence. A loud whizzing sound could be heard. A bullet embedded itself in the wall.

Your “friend” lurched forward. Their hand desperately grabbing your shoulder pulling you down towards the floor breaking line of sight with the sniper.

한지성

You both crawl towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. They helped you up resting your weight against the wall.

They turned to push the button labeled L for “Lobby.”

The protective metal bar screen closes as a figure smashes against the metal, the bars creaking under the impact.

The figure’s upper half of their face was covered by an intricate porcelain squirrel mask. They tilt their head side to side mockingly. A smirk played on his lips as he raised a hand and began to wave goodbye as the elevator doors closed.

서창빈

Almost tasting the sweet taste of freedom, your “friend” held you tightly by your wrist sprinting towards the hospital entrance.

The same whirring sounds can be heard.

A bullet embeds itself into your “friend’s” shoulder - a warning shot.

A dark figure stood before them with a minigun held to his side. 

Your “friend” grabbed your hand squeezing it tightly. A silent “we’re done for.”

You release your hand from theirs.

They turn to look at you.

You reach up, quickly and effectively snapping their neck as their body fell limp.

If only they knew that you were one of them, Stray Kids.

You black out. The last thing you see was Changbin rushing over with his hand stretched out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are yallsters excited for the voting? It starts tomorrow on Chapter 2!


	14. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voting starts today <3  
Are y'allsters excited?   
Voting ends Tuesday, September 17 12PM PST or Friday, September 13 12PM PST if I get a good amount of votes.
> 
> Please read through the Author's notes at the end :P

It was dark when you woke up. The only light source was from the many screens illuminating the room. 

The pain you felt from the night before had faded. In fact, you felt no pain at all, not even a crick in the neck or a sore back from laying down in your uncomfortable cot. You lifted your arm into your view rotating it and looking at it front and back, up and down. You were no longer bandaged. Your arm looked as supple and smooth as the day you were born. No scars. No blemishes. No evidence of any injuries from the incident.

Your gaze fell on the figure that was leaning against your cot.

Hwang Hyunjin, the gang’s main medic and engineer.

You smiled at the sight. He kept his promise. You stared at his side profile. His figure was illuminated by the many screens. He looked angelic. His honey brown hair was styled nicely albeit the messy strands from running his fingers through his hair. He wears a brilliant white outfit. It is skin tight with black accents. A masterful design by Hwang Hyunjin himself. Specifically engineered to improve aerodynamics. At the center of his back on either side of his spine resting snuggly under his shoulder blades are two carefully engineered mechanical wings that allows Hyunjin to glide and cover more distance quickly. Hyunjin can retract and extend them at will. It is connected directly into his nervous system via very fine needles. Because of this, Hyunjin still had full control of his wings as such as his arms or legs.

You remember the day he first put them on vividly. The sounds of his pained screams echoing through your base, his face contorted by pain, the tears forcing through his clenched eyes as the needles pierce his skin directly penetrating his nerves.

He was in so much pain. The pain mirrored the first every time he removes them and puts them back on, so he leaves them on as a permanent extension of his body. (Seungmin does the repairs directly on his body whenever needed.)

You can’t really see his face clearly, but you can already envision it from seeing it many times. His eyes were glued to his many screens. His eyes would squint and his nose would occasionally crinkle from concentration. A pair of glasses rested neatly on the bridge of his nose- glasses meticulously crafted with specialized lens to prevent and limit eye strain from staring at his many screens for hours at a time.

Hyunjin has 11 screens, one main larger screen in the center with five smaller ones on either side. The 10 other screens each depicted the heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, etc of each of the Stray Kids members. One for each starting from the eldest to the youngest, then you at the bottom right screen.

Hyunjin’s left hand was tightly gripping the side of your cot. You rested your hand over his intertwining your fingers with his. He squeezed your much smaller fingers with his larger ones in acknowledgement without turning to look at you. He let out a soft huff. You understood what he wanted from you. You detach your hand from his as he walks towards the collection of screens. You let sleep take over your form.

Some time later, you stirred in your sleep. Hyunjin was still stood stiff in front of his screens.

You felt arms securely wrapped around you and a leg draping over yours. You turned carefully to face the figure.

Lee Felix, the gang’s hitman. It’s mind blowing how effective he is. He is extremely masterful in close quarter fighting and his ability to use a gun is unmatched (with the exception of Changbin).

He was sound asleep. His blond hair was messy and freckles littered his face like stars in the night sky. Felix was still fully geared. Looks like he just returned from a mission as evident by the dark circles under his eyes. No rest for the wicked. Memories of last night flooded your mind. Felix’s pained screams as he was caught aflamed and him crashing through the window. Hyunjin did a spectacular job tending to his wounds. Felix was apparently well enough to embark on another mission practically hours after being set ablaze.

You carefully laid out of his grasp letting the Aussie sleep. You walked towards Hyunjin patting his shoulder signifying you were leaving. You didn’t dare speak to him. You knew better than to interrupt. He has 10 lives on his hands 25/8.

You quietly closed the door behind you as you entered the long hallway littered by closed doors. You began heading down the hallway to report back to your leader.

Along the way, you see Changbin heading your direction.

Seo Changbin, the gang’s weapons dealer. He was donning a black skin tight short sleeved shirt that perfectly showcases his muscles and toned chest. He wore black fingerless leather gloves and loose black pants with black combat boots to finish it off. He had several straps and harnesses attached to his body holding all his gun holsters. Gun magazines decorated his torso. An AK was slung over a shoulder held up with a sling and a sniper rifle secured to his back. He smiled at you fondly relief washing over his stern face. You smiled back remembering the scare you gave him last night. He ruffles your hair gently, his fingers ghosted down the side of your face, your cheek, your jaw before caressing your chin gently wiping his thumb over the soft skin. He walked past you continuing down his path.

You smiled widely as you continued down the hallway giving each door you pass a singular knock. Each room’s occupants briskly opened the door and sticking their heads out, each relieved to see you alive and well.

The first, Han Jisung, the group’s main hustler for money and info. The squirrel like little shit however, didn’t open the door in response to your knock. Instead, he responded with a loud kick on the other side that shook the door slightly.

The second, Yang Jeongin, the group’s youngest and unbelievable sniper. He has never missed a shot. He doubles as a secondary weapons dealer, often accompanying Changbin and even going by himself if Changbin is preoccupied. His head stuck out his door; his red hair was messy with bed head. His eyes were little slits tired from sleep. His eyes open slightly seeing you alive and well. He smiled brightly. You gently pecked his cheek; a slight blush dusted his cheeks. He retreated back into his room returning to sleep. 

The third, Kim Seungmin, the group’s demolitionist. Explosives were is specialty. He does have the knowledge of an engineer and mechanic to lighten Hyunjin’s load. (Although Hyunjin will kill Seungmin if he touches or interferes with any of Hyunjin’s engineering experiments).

Like Jeongin, he only stuck his head out. However, unlike Jeongin, he had a scowl on his face from being rudely interrupted. The scowl didn’t leave his face upon seeing you though. His clenched teeth eased into firmly pressed straight lips. His nose scrunches up slightly prior to giving you a split second peck to your cheek and proceeding to slam the door in your face.

You laughed lightly to yourself shaking your head lightly. You turn to continue but you see Lee Know stumbling out of his room, a gas mask present on his face and a fog of smoke coming out of his open door. Lee Minho, or Lee Know, is the group’s decoy and toxin expert. Smokes and poison gas are his thing. He hand makes every single concoction.

Minho glances at you noticing your presence. He quickly waved at you and smiled. You couldn’t see his face other than his eyes, but from how his eyes crinkled, you knew he smiled at you. Minho then walked through the smoke into his room and left his door open. You peered into his room, but the smoke was so thick and dense you can not even see through it, just a solid color of ashy gray.

You turned the corner still facing the smoke. Minho flooding his room with smoke was not a rare occurrence. You laughed at the thought.

Without realizing, your back collided with a very firm chest. You whipped around to see Woojin.

Kim Woojin, the gang’s main bargainer. Like Jisung, Woojin’s job is to get money and info. Unlike Jisung who practically blackmails the other party, Woojin can sweet talk and let the money speak for him. (Even though Jisung uses violence to get what he wants, the little shit can’t fight to save his life unlike Woojin who can take down 5 guys single handedly).

Woojin was dressed in a black long sleeved turtleneck and a white faux leather jacket over it. He has several accessories, mainly chains, decorating his body. His lower body was less visually loud. He has simple tight black jeans and black high tops. 

He smiles at you, giving you one of his signature bear hugs and kissing the top of your head. He pulled away from you and stood to the side with an arm outstretched allowing you to pass.

You made your way to Chan’s room. Technically it’s his office, but he holes up there 25/8 it’s practically his room.

Bang Chan, the gang’s leader and hacker. His IQ is through the roof making genius Woojin appearing to have a pea sized brain. 

Bang Chan’s office (room) was dark. The lights were almost always off. The only light was coming from his large monitor. He was slouched over his laptop, the sounds of his fingers dancing over his keyboard can be heard throughout the room.

He notices your presence and spins around on his chair. He showcases his famous dimple smile.

“How are you feeling, mate?” Chan asked, voice thick with an Australian accent.

You smiled and nodded slightly to him.

Chan knew you should rest, but he also knows that his knee will get capped again if he’s forcing you to sit around. You hate sitting around doing nothing when you could go out and be useful.

“So,” he started. “When do you want to start?”

~

Mission Briefing  
Location: Civilized Countryside  
Weather: Clear  
Time of Day: Late Day/Evening  
Objective: Gather info  
Date: 20XX  
Partner: ???

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note: Since this is the first round of voting, I am providing you with the condensed mission briefing. I will not be stating this explicitly in later chapters. Every mission briefing will follow this same format. It will be your job to gather that info yourself. The full briefing will be posted before every chapter so you can check if you gathered all the correct info.
> 
> Here I have given you a mission briefing and you, the readers, will vote for which member you want to bring with you. 
> 
> Remember your decisions will have consequences. 
> 
> So refer back to their character profiles and stats when casting your vote.
> 
> Happy voting!  
(Please refer to the Voting Rules before casting your vote.)
> 
> Crosses fingers that I get more than 3 votes and it’s not a tie.
> 
> Voting ends Tuesday, September 17 12PM PST or Friday, September 13 12PM PST if I get a good amount of votes.
> 
> Author Note 2 (I’m sorry)  
So I will most likely write member scenarios prior to voting stages beginning so I have some backlog, but that means for the members that don’t make it scenarios will be tossed. So... how do y’allsters feel if I do like a little contest thing during the votes? Like the first few people who can accurately pinpoint the best possible member with a brief explanation why can have a choice to read one of these extra scenarios? (Note: Best possible member does not necessarily mean the member that wins the votes.)  
PLEASE give me feedback on this.


	15. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 early upload, bc I only got 3 votes and it doesn't look like I'm getting anymore T^T  
Thank you to those who voted
> 
> I'm so sorry. 
> 
> Please read the notes at the end.

Mission Briefing  
Location: Civilized Countryside  
Weather: Clear  
Date: 20XX  
Time of Day : Late day/evening  
Mission Objective: Gather info  
Kim Woojin

“Good evening.” Woojin smiled courteously. “Have you heard about the missing people?”

You hummed in response. “People are disappearing but aren’t marked as missing. The people believe that they escaped to a better life.”

“They haven’t shown up to our district though,” Woojin continued. “Should be an easy one to investigate.”

In a world torn apart by divisions and gang war, there’s hardly a place deemed “safe” anymore. The rise of gangs and mafia have become so numerous and so powerful that the government hasn't been able to stop them. Instead it turned corrupt, the government can no longer trust its own people, its own citizens believing that any one of them can be one of them, one of the bloodthirsty mafia or gang. Police brutality became a norm and is essentially unspoken law. The people live in false peace still blindly following the government like the sheeple they are too blind to see that the government are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

District 9. Known in the underground as Stray Kids territory, but to common citizens who knew of it puts it atop a shiny pedestal. However, there are others who doubted it. After all, it was ruled by one of the notorious mafias out there.

“We already know the why at this point. They aren’t escaping to freedom, they’re taken.”

“The true question that lies before us is where are they being taken,” Woojin finished. “Are you ready?”

Seeing Woojin before you was a strange sight. He always dressed according to his status- expensive clothing, several accessories- he even behaved formally. He would often have a straight posture. He stands upright with his chin up, legs together with his arms folded neatly behind his back. You often wonder if he knew the meaning of the word “casual.” However, this time he’s merely wearing what was once a comfortable black hoodie. Now it’s a dull dark gray color the dark shade fading away with time. His pants were somewhat casual- regular dark jeans with rips in them.

“You gotta stop doing that,” you remarked tying your shoes. Woojin still stood upright with heels together and fingers interlaced neatly in front of him. He tilted his head slightly in confusion.  
“I don’t know what you mean.”  
“Whatever, let’s just go.”

~

“Apparently, the people who disappeared were last seen here in this countryside,” you started.  
The sun had just set behind the horizon and the dark hues of the night sky slowly settled in as you and Woojin waited atop the hill overlooking the quaint walled country village. Woojin hummed in agreement as he stood up from his spot headed toward the walls. You followed suit.  
You both made eye contact as you went separate ways. Woojin disappeared in the shadows and you quickly joined a passing group of pedestrians.  
“Another one bites the dust, huh?” one of them started.  
“Probably left to start a new life. I mean no one wants to stay within these walls,” another responded.  
“It’s more dangerous outside.”  
Woojin slides into the group from an alleyway the group was passing by. He joined your side and snaked his arm around your waist pulling you closer to him- a casual act for blending in.  
“Where were they last seen?” you asked quietly attempting to press for more information.  
“At the-” one started.  
“At the bakery. The woman who worked there disappeared some time before closing.” Woojin interrupted.  
They all solemnly nodded. You and Woojin parted from the group still huddled together.  
“You kids best get indoors or you’ll get taken as well,” a man in the back separated momentarily to whisper that warning prior to rejoining the group.

~

Sliding on some black latex gloves, Woojin turned the brass knob old and worn over time. He cracked the door open a bit, a light creaking echoed through the dark bakery. Woojin knocked out of courtesy and respect before opening it fully.  
“Why would you knock?” you chuckled at him, gripping his forearm gently keeping up the casual blending act. Your fingers grazed itself over the concealed knife through the cloth. Woojin gave no response other than a small smile. He rested his gloved hand on the small of your back and led you in the bakery closing the door silently behind the both of you. Then, you both went to work. Slipping on a pair of black latex gloves yourself, you began feeling around the place. You both do not have the luxury of sight so feel is your best bet.  
Everything seemed undisturbed. No sign of a struggle or forced entry. Your gloved fingers felt around the door frame, the lock and the windows. No splintered wood, no tampered locked, and no broken grass.  
“Anything?” you whispered.  
“Nothing,” Woojin responded. “No signs of a struggle.”  
“How did you find out about this disappearance so fast?” You inquired.  
“The tightest lips can be loosened for the right price,” Woojin mused. “These people do not deserve to be missed or mourned. They traded dignity for coin.”  
You merely hummed in response. Woojin headed to the back of the quaint bakery to continue investigating. You sighed. It was difficult fighting for the people when they’re hardly people anymore. Woojin interrupted your thoughts by walking in.  
“You need to look at this,” Woojin led you to the quaint clean bedroom in the back.  
“I don’t see anything?”  
“Exactly. No forced entry, no struggle. The closet and drawers are closed and tidy.”  
“Not a kidnapping or a runaway,” you concluded.  
Woojin was about to contribute his thoughts but a loud thud broke through the silence and rapid footsteps can be heard. Woojin reacted quicker immediately turning and dashing towards the open back door. You quickly followed suit as you both bolt after the intruder. The intruder weaved in and out of the alleyways attempting to break line of sight, but he wasn’t going to get away that easily. The both of you quickly cornered him in a skinny alleyway with a huge brick wall at the end. The man didn’t stop running though. Woojin let out an exasperated sigh as the man scaled the wall next to him, using his upward momentum to jump to the wall behind him repeating the process until he can grab ahold of the tall brick wall. Woojin glared at the man as he slowed to a stop. Your eyes widen at the face of the man who intruded on you both.  
“You,” you gasp out menacingly.  
He smirked. The man that caused the incident. The incident that left you severely burned and injured, forced to be bedridden in a hospital in the middle of nowhere for months until Stray Kids located and came for you. He turned his back towards you and jumped off the wall. You quickly followed, scaling the wall in the same matter. Woojin cursed under his breath as he doubled back to find another way, being unable to follow.  
You stood upon the wall to see the man stopped in front of you on one of the rooftops up ahead.  
Pain.  
That’s all you felt as a searing pain tore through your shoulder. You hissed and lost your balance on the wall barreling towards the ground landing on your other shoulder. Your eyes clenched shut from the searing pain from both shoulders, one more than the other, as you attempt to stop the blood flow. You heard Woojin call for you, his voice muffled and sounded at a distance. He slid towards you, his knees scraped against asphalt as it tore and bled. Woojin cradled you in his arms as he glared at the man. The man smirked as he pocketed the pistol he had in his hand and jumped off disappearing behind the building.  
Woojin panted and held you tighter against his body, his head falling into the crook of your neck.

Mission failed.  
Woojin will remember that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. I didn't want Woojin to win.  
I wrote both WJ and JS scenarios well before the first voting stage even began.
> 
> Yea, both WJ and JS are both arguably the best people for the job, so those who said that congrats. A03 has no DM system, so if you want to read the extra scenarios for the members that didn't win, message me on Instagram or Tumblr. I have the same username for everything lol.
> 
> So, every mission scenario is number generated and each one has a specific red herring/twist that can affect the outcome of the mission which is why the outcome of the mission is the way it is.
> 
> Chapter 4 will be up tomorrow <3


	16. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Voting Stage, hope y'all are ready.  
But there isn't just one, but TWO voting opportunities this chapter. (Perhaps y'allsters can have some redemption)

You stirred in your sleep. You felt a lingering pain in your shoulder from where you’ve been shot. You wince as you attempt to move your shoulder. You cracked open your eyes a bit...only to be eye to eye with another pair of eyes. You let out a loud shriek and Hyunjin stood up straight. The temple of his glasses were hanging from his lips. His lips were formed into a frown, his eyes were hooded and his eyebrows furrowed. You sighed as you rolled over on your back after seeing his face. His eyebrow quirked up as your pupils looked away. You can hear his voice in your head going, “Well?” You can hear, heck you can  _ feel  _ his disappointment. You were supposed to rest, yet you charged in head first into another mission AND getting injured to top it off. 

Oh.

Woojin.

You felt Hyunjin’s disappointment, you can only imagine Woojin’s disappointment. 

“Woojin!” You shot up. Pain flared up throughout your body as you collapse back down wincing as you reach for your injured shoulder.

You looked at him expectantly for an answer. Hyunjin still looked at you in disappointment.

“I know. I know. I’m sorry,” you sat up slowly as Hyunjin turned around and pulled out a syringe, his miracle anti pain and rapid healing concoction. Hyunjin can’t be bothered to actually lecture every single Stray Kids member whenever they get injured, so he waits until they awake due to the pain before relieving them of it in place of a lecture.

“Please, Jinnie. I’m so close,” you breathed out as Hyunjin glanced at you briefly before pulling back your bandages a bit to inject in his magic liquid into the bullet wound. Your shoulder tingled slightly as you watched the wound close slowly but surely. You reach up to caress your fingers down his jaw. “Please.”

He sighed as his gloved hand grasped your own. His black gloved fingers caress your smaller ones as he pressed a small kiss to your fingertips. He turns away and stood before his screens.

You slid off your cot and walked past him. You entered the long hallways as rush back to Chan’s office. You hesitated in front of a closed door. You turned to face it. Your heart was beating in your chest as your fingers trail over the grey painted wood. Woojin’s room.

~ **Voting Opportunity** ~  Do you want to talk to Woojin?

Reluctantly, you turned away and trotted down the hallway towards Chan’s room.

“CHAN!” you burst into his room, his door swung forward rapidly harshly coming into contact with the wall. From a few doors down, you could hear a soft chorus of groaning from Seungmin and Jisung. 

Chan visibly flinched from your loud voice and harsh impact as he swung around in his chair to face you.

“Pleas-” you started.

“You don’t have to explain. Woojin already gave the briefing,” Chan interrupted, smiling softly in pity.

“W-wait. No. Channie...” you started, feeling your heart sink down in your chest as you fought back tears.

Chan looked up to you briefly, opening his mouth seeing your tears.

“I need to go back,” you breathed out. “I was so close.”

“I don’t think-” 

“No. We’re close I know it. The people. They aren’t being kidnapped. The bakery-”

“You didn’t find anything,” Chan reminded.

“Exactly. They aren’t being taken, they left willingly,” you explained.

“You’re grasping,” Chan turned away slouching back over his laptop.

“ _ Chris, _ ” Chan flinched upon hearing his English name. “The baker was last seen in her bakery. She’s gone without a trace, but no sign of a struggle.”

“...”

“No signs of a runaway,” you finished, hoping Chan would connect the dots. 

“Tonight, please. Let me go back,”

“In the morning, when the weather is nice,” Chan gave in.

“Thank you,” you rushed forward wrapping your arms around his shoulders, pulling his back into your chest. You nestled your cheek into his blond curls. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.” 

Chan gripped your hand softly.

~

You walked out, closing the door to Chan’s room quietly behind you. You jumped once you saw Jisung who magically appeared in the hallway before you. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a smug look on his face.

“ _ You should’ve picked me, _ ” Jisung stated.

You scoffed, looking down to the floor in defeat. Jisung strolled over to you and pulled you into his embrace. You leaned your head into his shoulder. He swayed you side to side softly and he ran his fingers through your scalp.

“Tell me what you’ve found,” Jisung whispered. “Tell me, baby.”

You shoved him back causing him to collide with the wall. He chuckled softly at your reaction. 

“Come on, we’ll check out District 9. Maybe, just maybe someone will show up,” Jisung offered.

~ 

The sun was barely setting. The night sky slowly took over the brilliant oranges and red. District 9 was a shady place. It’s cold, dark and lonely, but hey, it’s home. Without the knowledge of District 9 and its location and existence, this little patch of territory looked to be abandoned littered with several destroyed and worn down buildings at first glance. 

Jisung was donning his signature white porcelain squirrel mask. In a squirrel like fashion, he climbed up the broken and worn walls. Like a squirrel, he walked on his hands and feet. One hand after another, one foot after another. As ridiculous as it looks, it works as a taunt and Jisung is exceptionally great at taunting and pushing buttons.

District 9 held several hidden secrets, not even you know every single one. You doubted even any of the Stray Kids members knew of them all. Perhaps Chan, but his mind was a mystery of its own. Was a building a safe house, a secret base, a storage or just plain up an abandoned and destroyed building?? There used to be so much light in this area, so much chatter and voices. But now, there are so many voices that would no longer make a sound. Not even the sounds of buildings settling can penetrate through the dense silence. 

Something about the air felt heavy, so little activity, but it feels like so much activity. The paranormal doesn’t exist, just lingering memories of the life before, before everything fell apart. We were going backwards in time. The world used to be industrious, making huge human innovations, leaving their marks in history. Now the world has collapsed back to the days where electricity were but a dream. Electricity became a luxury where not even the rich can afford, the people lived under candle light and heated water.

Money was worth so much yet so little. In the mafia and gang underground, money was power. However, in the over world with the people, money was a rarity.

You casually strolled down the wide open streets, the sounds of your boots seemed to echo loudly against brick street. There was hardly a breeze, but memories of the previous life seemed to echo in your ears, you can almost  _ hear  _ the breeze and the soft night time chatter. In the corner of your eye, you see Jisung jumping from roof to roof, rubble to rubble in an animalistic fashion, he was always on all fours. A squirrel of all animals, you never thought of the small furry animal to be terrifying or animalistic. After all, Woojin was known in the underground as the bear, a  _ bear.  _

A squirrel. You scoffed.

You watched Jisung take a bigger bite than he could chew. He attempted a leap that looked wayyy too far to a building diagonally from him. He landed on the weak rubble of a wall on his hands with the wall breaking under his feet. His feet scrambled on the weak surface trying to find purchase as his metal claws dug into the brick wall as he slowed to a stop. You watched him pull himself up until he was crouched upon the ledge with his back towards you.

Jisung had requested (rather threatened) Hyunjin to fashion him some metal claws to finish off his squirrel aesthetic. To which Hyunjin agreed just to dump the workload onto Seungmin, bless his soul, for he almost broke Hyunjin’s nose for dumping it on him and then proceeded to almost breaking Jisung’s nose because of the stupid request (but Chan interfered). (No) thanks to Hyunjin, Seungmin had specifically designed and engineered metal claws that acted like an extension of Jisung’s fingers. The metal rings surround each individual finger snuggly but without cutting off blood circulation or limiting mobility as it ends into a slight curvature. Because of this accessory, Jisung was able to climb surfaces as well as an actual squirrel can.

You almost mocked him for the over glorified metal manicure to get a matching pedicure because climbing is more than just fingertips, you need feet purchases as well to Hyunjin and Seungmin’s dismay. If looks could kill, you would be dead long ago. Heaven forbid, Hyunjin and Seungmin to work with Jisung’s feet to fashion the little shit metal claws for his toes.

You ducked into said abandoned building and knocked twice on the wall. You paused momentarily and knocked once. Two knocks echoed back in response. There were people within the hidden safe house, but no one new. There was an unspoken rule that the people that Stray Kids safe guarded follow. Once Stray Kids knocks, you  _ always _ answer. If there was any newcomers, they were to emerge with the acting leader of that particular safehouse. Other than that, the people should never emerge because even though District 9 was Stray Kids territory, the abandoned buildings hid many dangers. The dangers include traps by Stray Kids, traps by the enemy, or the enemies themselves. You looked up at the wall, you see the shadow of Jisung’s crouched figure illuminated by the moonlight.

You smirked.

“I know what happened.”

“Explain please,” Jisung’s voice broke through the silence. 

“Tomorrow.”

Jisung groaned.

  
  


~

**Two Voting Opportunities**

  1. Do you want to speak to Kim Woojin?
    1. Yes or No
  2. Who do you want to bring for your next mission?
    1. Kim Woojin (Light Injury//Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
    2. Bang Chan
    3. Lee Know | Lee Minho
    4. Seo Changbin
    5. Hwang Hyunjin
    6. Han | Han Jisung
    7. Lee Felix
    8. Kim Seungmin
    9. I.N | Yang Jeongin

I hope you find the context clues for the next mission, remember it follows this format.

Mission Briefing

Location: 

Weather: 

Date: 

Time of Day: 

Mission Objective: 

Partner: 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk when I'll end the voting? Because I know I'm not gonna get a lot of votes anyway lmao.  
So... Monday...? 12 PM  
Because I don't think I can wait a week lmao.


	17. Chapter 5

Mission Briefing

Location: Civilized Countryside

Weather: Clear

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : Morning

Mission Objective: Gather info

Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan

“So talk to me,” Chan stated while swinging around in his chair facing you. “What is it that you hope to find?”

“Come on, Channie~ You’re a big boy, you know what I’m trying to find,” you smirked at him.

Chan threw his head back as a groan left his lips. “So you want to find the people that poofed out of thin air.”

“Yes, but no, but kinda yea,” you shrugged.

“Nice,” Chan swung back around to his laptop, he grasped his water bottle on the desk. Popping the cap open, he took a swig of the liquid with the plastic crinkling under his hand.

“Channie~ Come with meeee, ” you begged. “Please, daddy.”

Chan choked on the liquid he was drinking. He doubled forwards as he tried to cough out the liquid, the water going everywhere.

“God damn it, now you got my laptop wet,” Chan scolded. Chan pulled on the sleeve of his sweater as he wiped away on his laptop screen and dabbed at the keyboard. Chan slumped back into his seat as he let out a loud sigh. He turned back around just to toss the almost empty bottle at you, the bottle bouncing pathetically off your forehead.

“Why are you like this?” Chan sighed. 

You giggled in response. 

”Fine,” Chan gave in. You nodded at him turning to leave. 

“Go talk to Woojin, yea? He was worried about you. I’ll meet you at the entrance...” Chan paused. “Babygirl.”

You tripped over feet, your waist banged ungracefully against the doorknob.

~~~~

You can feel your heart rapidly beating in your chest as anxiety ate through your mental thoughts. Your stomach dropped so low, it felt as if it is resting at your feet. Loud muffling sounds of your heart beating resonated throughout your ears. Your hands were clenched in front of you within your sweater paws, your blunt nails dug into your perspiring palms. 

You stood outside in the quiet hallway staring at the dull painted grey door of Woojin’s room. Many thoughts were running through your head. Thoughts of what could go wrong, Woojin’s disappointment in you, thoughts of figuring out what to say and just making up excuses of why talking to Woojin would be a bad idea. Your thoughts were interrupted as Chan passed you in the hallway. The Aussie grabbed ahold of your hand squeezing it gently in encouragement. He shook your hand lightly as he pulled away waving at you slightly with a small smile on his lips.

You sighed to yourself as you turn back towards the door. You raised your knuckles to knock gently on the door. The three small knocks you made seemed to echo loudly in your ears and your hearing once again was filled with your heartbeat. You swallowed the lump in your throat as you hear the lock become undone with a soft click. The door opened slowly to reveal Kim Woojin himself.

He had a slight bedhead and was wearing a simple silk dress shirt and some shorts. Both his knees were heavily covered in gauze and held together with simple medical tape. You can see the dabbles of red from the blood seeping through. It seems Woojin never checked in with Hyunjin for the post mission check up, or else his knees would look as smooth and supple as if the skin was never scraped off by the dirt and rocks that day. Not that you would be able to see his knees if Hyunjin did treat it, Woojin did dress professionally with long pants anyway.

You couldn’t bring yourself to say a word upon sight of him. The lump of your throat crawled back up as you find it difficult to keep your composure. Woojin, the always attentive one, sensed your discourse so he pulled you into his embrace as he rubbed circles onto your back.

“I’m sorry,” you managed to choke out.

He pulled back slightly with his hands resting on your waist. His face held a look of bewilderment. 

“Sorry?” he breathed out.

“I let you down, I ruined the mission for us. I know you have some pride behind your perfectly clean and executed missions,” you rambled, knowing how the Stray Kids members like to grief each other depending on how badly they fuck up their missions.

“You act as if I keep track. Things happens. Nothing is as simple as from point A to point B. You needn’t apologise, there was no way for you to have known that that man would interfere. In fact, I should be the one to apologise-”

“What? Why you?” you interrupted.

“Let me finish, you were the one who had a bullet embedded into your shoulder. All I got were scraped knees. I’m not Jisung or Jeongin or Hyunjin, there was no way for me to get up and over that wall. If only I was faster, I could’ve protected you,” his voice trailed off as he held your smaller hands within his much larger ones.

“Woojin,” you breathed out, wrapping your arms around his neck pulling him close to you. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of your neck as he held you tightly, giving you his signature bear hug.

“Go get ‘em, cub,” Woojin whispered into your ear.

~~~~

You headed towards the entrance and lo and behold, Chan was already there typing away with his laptop.

“Why did you bring your laptop?” you snickered at him.

“Sorry sorry,” he shrugged. “Give me a sec.”

“One,”

“Ok, wise guy,” Chan seethed.

You took this opportunity to examine Chan from head to toe. His blond curls had been freed from his beanie, in fact you can’t really call them curls at the moment. It seemed to be straightened and styled with a lavender streak on his bangs.

“Why the fuck is your hair purple?”

Chan merely shrugged in response.

Chan was also donning a neon orange hoodie. You can see a plain white tee sticking out from under it. Over the hoodie, he wore a long sleeved black jacket zipped up over it with simple brown sweats and black high tops.

“You’re really wearing neon orange in a countryside?”

Chan shrugged off your response once more.

“What are you even doing?” you asked wondering why he’s still fiddling with his laptop.

“Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answer to.”

~

Chan and you were both sitting atop the hill under the shade of the tree. 

“So what do we do, Channie?” you asked leaning your head on his shoulder.

Chan was still typing away on his laptop. This man decided to bring it along.

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because...you’re the leader?” you squinted at him.

“Your mission,” he stated as a matter of fact. “You’re the one who wanted to come back.”

“...”

“What do you hope to accomplish?”

“I know we’re close to finding out where the people are disappearing to. I have a feeling there will be others that will disappear. We just need to find them.”

“Ok,” Chan stood up with his eyes still glued to his laptop screen.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to check out the bakery,” Chan merely replied.

“Why?”

“Inventory…?” Chan seemed to be at a loss of words. “I wanted to have all the nitty gritty details all jotted down.”

You groaned in frustration.

~

You were currently situated on a bench after being royally ditched by Chan. You felt as if you might as well have gone on this mission on your own. Your eyes were analyzing every passerby closely examining their face for anything out of place: a fidget, wandering eyes, people working up a cold sweat. Just anything that would arouse suspicion.

Suddenly your eyes caught sight of someone, a woman. It was a very particular woman. Everyone in this village lived in false peace with the heavy atmosphere of impending doom. Nobody knows when the government will come for them, nobody knows when the government will do another “cleansing.” Everyone was tense and not many words are exchanged. People often huddle together reveling in the small hope of strength in numbers even if they don’t converse. This woman however, was walking on her own. Not part of any wandering group, but with a small, but most definite smile plastered on her face. 

Perfect. The way you envisioned things were finally falling into motion.

You stood up from your seat as you joined a passerby group of people and proceeded to tail the woman. The woman walked tall with her chin up. She oozes confidence, but why? She walks as if she struck gold. You continued trekking forward even with the group you were in turning at the intersection.

You continued to follow the woman. You were getting concerned how the street lessened with people the further you followed her. You were quickly losing opportunities to hide if the woman were to turn around. You prayed to yourself she wouldn’t turn arou- FUCK. You quickly slid behind a small staircase curling up into a ball hiding your small frame behind the concrete steps as the woman turned around. You carefully peeked at her through a small gap between the wood railing and the bricks of the steps. 

She stood still in the middle of the street as confusion went through her features. Poor thing, the people have developed a sixth sense of knowing when they are followed as a result of the world they are currently living in. She looked around paranoid as you ducked your head back down in case she spots you. She turned and started picking up a brisk pace. You get up quickly noticing her rapidly moving away from you. You tried to follow her with a light jog, but you knew you were screwed with all the buildings huddled up too close together with a wood fence blocking off every alleyway. You were left with no place to hide if she were to turn around.

You stopped by a convenient fruit stand and began grabbing at the fruits there trying to look as natural as possible. It was hard to blend in when there is a lack of people. You wanted to follow by rooftops but it would make you no better than the dumb squirrel, Han Jisung. Seeing as you didn’t really have a choice if you wanted to remain incognito and seeing how the woman was getting further away, you quickly scaled up the building you were at using the fruit stand as a mantle. 

You quickly followed on the rooftops keeping the woman within your line of sight. She walked with a slight skip in her step as she approached the North gate. However, something was wrong. The other escorts approached the woman. They were previously stood before some sort of cart. It looked more like a cage for animals and it didn’t look like that woman was alone. Within the cage were more people, each of them chained up. The woman acted casual, enthusiastic even. She practically walked to the men with open arms. She lifted her arms up willingly. Not from fear. Not from force, but free will. The men took no time chaining her up. You cursed under your breath as you quickly free ran over the rooftops trying to reach the North gate. 

You managed to climb up to the wall surrounding the village and made your way quickly to the top of the large gateway. You quickly jumped right off without much thought and landing on one of the men, deeply embedding your knife into his neck. The other men jumped in reaction. You shifted your weight fully onto your hind feet and left hand. You held a menacing strike pose over the body with your knife secure in your right hand. 

“Look at the little kitten putting on a show,” one of the men mocked.

The three men began to circle you with each drawing out a knife. One versus three, it wasn’t that bad of an odd, but you wished Chan was with you. You could handle three, you did single handedly take down the ‘00 line when you all were sparring (with the exception of Felix completely overtaking you) but you did take down Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jisung easily enough...that has to mean something...right? 

You held a strike pose with your knife held higher menacingly. You very quickly realized the meaning of the phrase “Be careful for what you wish for.”

“Look at what we found,” two men appeared behind you.

With the two men was Bang Chan himself held in a chokehold with a knife pressed to the soft flesh of his neck. The other man was casually looking through Chan’s laptop. Instantly, you felt your stomach drop seeing your leader at knifepoint and incapacitated.

“Sorry,” Chan merely shrugged.

He was not impressed in the slightest. His face showed total disbelief that two grunts managed to capture him. Even though a knife was pressed against his neck, Chan stood upright yet casual with both his hands in his hoodie pocket looking so done with the situation. 

“Don’t you dare make any sudden movements or pretty boy here will get cut.”

Chan merely shrugged.

“Do it then...” Chan started. “Coward.”

“Ok then wise guy,” the man released him momentarily to strike the back of Chan’s head with the grip of the knife. Chan fell forward like a ragdoll landing on flat on his face ungracefully.

“Ow,” Chan mumbled against the dirt floor. “I needed a nap anyway. I’m gonna take five. Wake me when you need me.”

Your situation just went from bad to worse. You’re technically in a one versus five situation with Bang Chan, bless his soul because this mans needed to SLEEP, passed out on the dirt path. The men quickly charged you all at once haphazardly swinging their knives. They didn’t look like they were well trained, you easily side stepped all their attacks. A side step, the knife slashing vertically downward whiffing you. A duck, you can faintly hear the  _ whoosh  _ of the air being displaced as the knife slashed over you. A stab, you grabbed at the wrist stopping it’s progression forward with the tip lightly grazing your black sweater as you twisted the man’s arm as you threw him over your back. You stomped your combat boot over the man’s neck feeling the spine snap under your foot. You ducked to your right as another knife came towards your face feeling the blade slicing your cheek. You cursed upon feeling the stinging pain as your fist connected with the man’s face, feeling the nose shattering under your knuckles. The man doubled back and his hands flew up to his face, you see red spewing in between his fingers. You heard rapid footsteps behind you as you quickly ducked sticking out your leg backwards a bit, the man tripped over your leg and rolled over your back. As this was happening another man came up and started slashing at you. You reacted in time by jumping back but your sweater didn’t make it out unscathed. A huge slash mark now decorated your sweater’s front.

You pouted as a slight whine left your lips. Your bottom lip protrudes out abit as it quivered slightly.

“Channie~” you whine with a fake sob. “Channie, the sweater you got me got ruined.”

“You what now, mate?!” Chan bellowed out, standing up abruptly.

A man tried to rush Chan as he was getting up, but Chan very quickly put all his weight onto his hands and his leg swung around effectively roundhouse kicking the man in the face. The man dramatically spiralling as he fell towards the ground with a loud thud and a groan.

“Which one of you lads made my babygirl cry?” Chan asked with venom dripping from his words. 

The man with red spewing out of his face charged Chan, but Chan couldn’t care less as he clotheslined the guy. His fist connected with his already broken and shattered nose. Chan stomped over to you as he threw a punch to the man who slashed your sweater breaking his nose as well. He fell flat on his back as Chan stepped on his neck.

“Oi, you’re the mate who was touching my laptop,” Chan seethed as he pulled out a pistol hidden somewhere under his many layers of clothes and shooting him in between the eyes.

As that was happening, one of the guys charged you but you easily sidestepped and deeply embedded your knife into his neck twisting it slightly as you forced it to go further in. When you pulled out, blood erupted out of it like a geyser, effectively painting the dirt path. You then quickly threw your knife straight in between the eyes of the guy Chan clotheslined as he fell into a slump with Chan quickly and effectively snapping the last guy’s neck. 

Looking around you, you were surrounded by six dead bodies as a loud shriek broke you out of your trance. Chan walked up to the woman bowing slightly.

“Good day, ma’am. You don’t need to be afraid. We’re here to free you,” Chan pulled out a couple of tools hidden in his sleeves.

In addition to hacking, Chan is great at lock picking as well. He was WAYYYY better at it than you were. Then again, was there anything Chan couldn’t do?  (Sleep.) 

“Free me? But these men were gonna take us to freedom,” the woman whimpered.

“Forgive me, but being chained up in an animal cage doesn’t look much like freedom,” Chan clarified.

“But it does exist. A paradise where we can rebuild and start a new life,” she continued. The people in the cart nodded in agreement. “My sister from the bakery writes to me from there. She speaks of wonderous stories.”

Chan didn’t believe them. Neither could you. More so Chan, because Chan practically knows the ins and outs of the world. He hasn’t heard of any “paradise.”

“Sorry, but your paradise is just a folly,” Chan stated bluntly as he picked at the lock of the cage. The locked fell to the ground bouncing lightly on the dirt. You quickly entered the cage and began working at all the chained prisoners. 

“How dare you,” she whispered now looking at Chan directly. “Wait, you’re-”

“Bang Christopher Chan,” he finished. “And I have never heard of your paradise.”

Her eyes widen in horror. “But, but my sister,” she breathed out frantically.

“We’ll find her,” you interjected.

Chan’s eyes snapped towards you glaring daggers at your form.

”Thank you,” she whispered nodding her head.

“Go home,” you whispered out. “All of you.”

One by one they all trinkled back towards the village.

“Channie, if we find them we may discover what this so called paradise is.”

Chan’s eyes narrowed already putting all the dots together, not liking where this talk was going.

“No,” Chan finalized sternly.

“But-”

“No buts,’” Chan snapped.

“Channie!”

“I AM NOT NEGOTIATING THIS!” Chan burst out with a prominent vein protruding out of his neck.

You felt as if your body shrunk on itself like a dog with its tail between their legs. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest in fear from never seeing Chan this angry before. Your lips tremble as your fingers gripped at the end of your sweater sleeves and you felt tears swell up in your eyes. Chan noticeably stiffen when he saw your frightened form. Chan walked forward slowly and placing his hands on your shoulders delicately as if you were as fragile as glass. He pulled your frightened form closer as he leaned his forehead against yours, your breaths mingling together.

“That day during the incident,” Chan started. “I thought I lost you. I never forgave myself. Hyunjin tried to reassure me that you were still alive. I never stopped to rest until I found you.”

You looked down, at a loss for words.

Chan sighed. “You’re a good person and I want to find those missing people too. But it’s too dangerous.”

“What we do is dangerous though,” you whispered. “But we do it for a higher cause, for the people, for those who don’t have the strength to do it themselves.”

Chan’s grip on your shoulders tightened a bit. 

“Fuck,” Chan breathed out, screwing his eyes shut.

His hands trail down your arms stopping at your hands. He held your hands softly as he rubbed circles softly onto the back of your hand.

“You’re going deep into the Lion’s Den, you know that right?”

You nodded softly.

“It’s going to be really dangerous,” Chan whispered. “You better come back to us. You better come back to  _ me.  _ If you don’t, I’ll never forgive myself.”

**Mission Successful**

~

_ You decided to talk to Woojin:  _ Your relationship status increased.

~

Mission Briefing

Location: Civilized Countryside // --REDACTED--

Weather: Clear

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : --REDACTED--

Mission Objective: Find out where the people disappear off to by --REDACTED--

Partner: 

~

Which Stray Kids Member do you want to bring with you for your next mission?

  * Kim Woojin (Light Injury// Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho
  * Seo Changbin
  * Hwang Hyunjin
  * Han | Han Jisung 
  * Lee Felix 
  * Kim Seungmin
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin 

You’re diving into the unknown now folks, may the odds be ever in your favor.

But there is a subtle (or not) hint about what you’re going to be diving into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk when this one will end...? Ballpark Wednesday...? Latest Saturday lol.  
Because next chapter will be beefy (I hope lol)
> 
> Anyways, happy voting. Have your friends vote (so I won't have to go through the existential crisis when the vote has been stuck in a tie again lmao)  
May the odds be ever in your favor.
> 
> Also message me on twitter, tumblr, wattpad, instagram or whatever @Lucario55076  
if you're interested in reading the extra scenarios...? or just wanna talk, that's fine too. I'm lonely xD


	18. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to go up Wednesday, but it's Friday OOPS.   
This was a hefty chapter and I wanted to make sure if it's good enough so yea... Hope you enjoy lol

Mission Briefing

Location: Civilized Countryside // Codename: Lion’s Den / “Paradise”

Weather: Clear

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : Afternoon

Mission Objective: Find out where the people disappear off to by getting captured yourselves.

Lee Know | Lee Minho

“I’m sorry. You want to do what?!” Minho exclaimed dramatically tearing off his gas mask and tossing it at you.

Minho was pacing back and forth running his hand through his hair. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” your voice had a slight whine to it. “I know it’s bad, but what other options do we have?”

“So let me get this straight, you want us to get captured. Taken away. Kidnapped!” Minho snapped.

“Yes,” you replied meekly.

“And worst of all, we’re going to be naked!” Minho threw up his hands in frustration.

“We’re not going to be-” you started.

“NAKED!” 

Minho wore simple clothing: just a plain white long sleeve shirt with a short sleeve denim jacket thrown over it and was finished off with a pair of normal grey sweatpants. You both weren’t actually going to be naked, just stripped of your gear. You can’t bring anything along in order to not arouse suspicion towards you both.

“I got an idea,” Minho quickly stated turning 180 degrees dramatically for extra effect. 

You could almost see the light bulb popping over his head from how extra this man is.

“Wha-”

“I need to see Felix!” Minho pointed at you waving his finger in response to the idea he was just enlightened by and disappeared out the door.

~

“I got it!” Minho rushed in with a leather harness that you recognized to be Felix’s.

“Kinky,” you snickered.

“Very funny,” Minho deadpanned at you.

“Yeah yeah,” you rolled your eyes playfully. “That’s actually a great idea.”

You walked up to him to look at the harness. You grabbed the leather straps in your hands to examine it closer. You slid your fingers into the loops that protruded out of the straps.

“You might actually be able to bring some of your reactants.”

“Yeah no shit, dummy,” Minho flicked your forehead. “I’m totally going to bring this just to get some good fuck when we get kidnapped.”

“Yea, totally. You’re not called MinHOE for a reason,” you smirked.

Minho reacted by attempting to kick you, but you quickly backed up giggling loudly.

“I might need some help putting it on,” Minho stated bluntly as he lifted up his white long sleeve exposing his torso.

“ASK FELIX!” you squeaked out throwing the harness at him and proceeded to cover your eyes facing the other direction.

~

“What should I bring?” Minho asked holding his shirt up as Felix buckled the straps on his body.

You were facing the other way with your eyes glued to your phone texting Chan. “I don’t know, this is your territory.”

“I think if you bring bottles the size of your standard remote gas canisters, you can bring quite a bit with you,” Felix recommended inserting his fingers into the loops checking the size. “It looks like it could fit.”

“Good idea, should I bring a detonator?” 

You and Felix shrugged.

“I’m going to bring a detonator,” Minho finalized.

“Yeah, you never know when you’re going to need it,” you replied.

Minho let out a gasp when suddenly he felt as if oxygen was punched out of him.

“Sorry,” Felix apologized. “It needs to be tight so it wouldn’t move under your shirt. Your shirt’s a bit thin so it might make the harness obvious.”

“For a sec, I thought you were going to kill me,” Minho chuckled to which Felix gave no response. “OUCH!”

“Sorry,” Felix shrugged.

“Thanks, Felix,” Minho pulled down his shirt.

“Yeah, thanks, Felix. Lifesaver,” you thanked with relief dripping from your words. 

“Yeah, no problem,” Felix turned to leave waving a small goodbye.

Minho gasped once more. 

“Great. What other bright idea did you come up with now?” You asked annoyed.

“I’ll be back again,” Minho rushed out of the room.

“...”

“...”  
“...”

You jolted in surprise when the sound of glass breaking echoed through the silent hallway.

“HEY! MINHO HYUNG!” you could hear Hyunjin’s voice echo loudly through the base.

“Uhh...” you didn’t know if you should be worried. 

Minho rushed back into the room crashing into the door slightly. In his hand held a small delicate brown glass bottle as he held it up to show you. His hair was noticeably disheveled as his collar hung desperately low on his shoulder exposing his collar bones. 

“Umm...” your mouth hung open as your eyebrow quirked up in confusion.

“I stole Hyunjin’s antifreeze,” Minho smirked victoriously.

Hyunjin always kept a small bottle of antifreeze on him (and forced Seungmin to carry one as well) to- well, prevent his wings from freezing at the joints or overheating in extreme use. 

Hyunjin came barreling into the room shortly after with a rather hefty medical textbook Hyunjin keeps around for “light reading.”

Just to dome Minho at the back of his head with said textbook.

Yikes.

~

“Meori appeuda,” Minho grumbled rubbing at the growing bump at the back of his head.

“You know, you could’ve ASKED Hyunjin for a bottle like a normal person,” you retorted.

Minho grumbled in annoyance. 

“Just go over the briefing again like you do instead of lecturing me,” Minho snapped punching your shoulder playfully. 

“I have a feeling that many of these villagers are going to be tempted to go to this paradise of theirs. They’re most definitely not going to be by the North entrance again after Chan and my...intrusion. So we need to find those people and just tag along,”

“Hopefully, we don’t get patted down,” Minho grumbled sticking his hand up his shirt to stick his fingers between the strap and the skin. “Why did Felix have to tighten it so much? I’m going to have marks.”

“Don’t be a baby,” you chuckled.

“Says the one who passes out like a light whenever injured,”

Oof.

~

“There, you see them?” you whispered squeezing his hand lightly.

Minho pecked your temple lightly to keep up your couple facade. 

“Yea,” he breathed out against your hair. “Let’s go join their group.”

You both headed towards the group of civilians that held a small smile on their faces.

“Are you people heading towards paradise?” you asked with your voice hush.

They all nodded rather enthusiastically.

“You kids should come along,” a man suggested. “It’s better to escape from this hell.”

“Can we?” Minho pouted lightly.

“Yes, yes,” a woman perked up. “We’ll just say you’re our children.”

“Thank you,” you and Minho both bowed lightly making eye contact with each other momentarily. 

You followed the group quite a bit as they weaved in and out through the alleyways. The alleyways were dark yet utterly discreet. With how thin and dark these alleyways are, it’s no surprise how discreet it is with the lack of people. At the end of your little journey lies a cart similar to the animal cage cart from before. It seemed there was a small hidden away gate here. It looks so dirty and rusted as if it was unused.

“I didn’t know there was even a gate here,” a member of your group remarked.

You hid behind Minho upon sight of the gang of men that’s similarly dressed as those you and Chan have killed. Minho gripped your hand to calm you down.

“Just let me do the talking,” this nice woman from earlier whispered.

She walked up to the men ushering you and Minho closer to her.

“Momma,” Minho whimpered softly keeping up the act.

“Please sir, these are my children. Can we bring them along as well? As a mother I can not leave them behind.” 

The men had a scowl on their face looking at Minho and you hiding behind him. 

“Whatever, just put them in the cage, too,” one of them barked.

“Thank you thank you,” the woman bowed profusely. 

One by one, the men chained each of you up with their wrists in front of them. Minho and you remarked how heavily armed the men are. You noticed how a few of the men had pistol holsters strapped delicately on their thighs with an AK attached to a sling across their back. 

“What are you looking at?” the man chaining your wrists together sneered at you.

“Are you going to hurt us?” you whined with fear laced in your voice keeping up the act.

The man chuckled darkly. “Of course not,” sarcasm was laced in his voice. “We’re going to paradise.”

Suddenly everything went dark. The man wrapped a black cloth over your eyes effectively blindfolding you. You whined slightly keeping up your meek act. You were roughly handled as you felt yourself be handed by a rough calloused hand to another. You felt your shins come in contact with something hard. You hissed when pain traveled up your body and then you were tossed into what you assumed is the cage with your shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. You attempted to sit up when suddenly you felt a body press up against yours and a cheek nuzzling close to yours. Slight panic bubbled in your chest when your fight or flight instinct almost came kicking in when you vaguely felt the leather harness and the many small bottles Minho snuck with him as well as the familiar scent that is so uniquely Minho. You calmed down right then and there huddling closer to him. 

The ride was felt like it went on forever as if it was the slow marching towards death. No one made a sound, no one talked to each other. Whenever someone attempts a conversation, the escort men would instantly hush them and bang their guns against the metal bars of the cage. The only sounds you could hear was the wooden wheels scraping and bumping over the dirt path and rocks and the soft uniform clatter of horse hooves with the occasional horse huff and neigh as well as the footsteps of the men escorting you. But all you could concentrate on with the softly breathing of Minho as well as his steady and uniform heartbeat. You didn’t know how he’s able to remain so calm being blindfolded and chained up, but you were thankful. His steady heartbeat kept you sane. 

It felt as if days had passed. You couldn't tell how many but you knew overnight came along when the carts were stopped for a LONG period of time. You could faintly hear the crinkling of a fire and soft snores of the men escorting you as well as the other people in the cart with you. Sleep never came to you, not when your fight or flight tendency was consistently fired up. Minho can sense your unease so he would press his body against your placing a bit more of his weight on your body. You felt slight relief and you felt protected. You allowed sleep to take over your form, but you can not sleep comfortably with you jolting awake once in a while.

As you approached closer and closer to “paradise,” you noticed the air getting heavier and heavier with salt and you can hear the faint crashing of waves in the distance.

A beach? Paradise is a beach?

You felt the pathways get more rougher as the wheels run over much more bigger and sturdier rocks and the path became more gravel like. You can hear Minho grumble in annoyance after each and every bump in the road. You felt the cart slow to a stop as you and Minho jolted up into a sitting position. You hear one of the escort bang on what you assumed to be a wooden gate. 

“Hey! Open up!” Yea. It’s most definitely a gate.

As the gate open, you noted how heavy it sounded with how loud the creak on the hinges was and how it crumbled and crushed the gavel beneath the door as the door opened. You can hear the grunts of labor and more gravel being crushed. You could tell it would take multiple people to push the door open. You heard the door close behind you as the horses pulled your cage cart into what you assumed to be a compound. You faintly hear keys clatter as the door of the metal cage open. One by one the people were dragged out by the arms. You could hear their chains clattering on the ground and soft wows coming out of them. You felt Minho’s body getting dragged off of you with Minho grunting from the rough handling. Your heartbeat started beating faster in panic already missing Minho’s warmth. You can hear his chains clatter to the ground as another man enters the cage. 

“Don’t you dare get any closer,” you heard Minho growl out. You heard light shuffling as Minho shoved the man in the cage with you against the metal bars. The man growled in response as he jumped out. You felt Minho’s hands on you gently as he slowly guided you out of the cage. You briefly felt rough hands on your wrist as your chains become loose. Minho removed your blindfold. Your eyes immediately screwed shut from the bright light. Your eyes fluttered at bit adjusting to the light and you see Minho’s face in front of yours. 

“Hey,” he breathed out. “I got you.”

A man came behind you and shoved you forward.

“Don’t you dare,” Minho threatened grabbing at the man’s wrist.

He quickly got out of Minho’s hold. “Scram.” His command was simple yet stern. You grabbed Minho by the arm and dragged him away from the man. You saw Minho’s death glare on the man and you wanted to get out before Minho blows your cover with his temper. You both take a good look at your surroundings. Everything was walled off. Where there wasn’t a wall was the ocean. It was relatively empty. That woman from your previous mission was right, it was a place to rebuild. There were many empty frames for buildings and the people were scattered, each with individual jobs. There were those mixing cement, those sawing wood, etc and there were some lounging around. You noted the several heavily armed guards around the walls. 

“Doesn’t look like freedom to me with this many armed guards,” Minho stated.

You made eye contact with him. You cocked your head to the side signalling to Minho. Minho nodded in understanding as you both split up. You decided to interact with the people to find as much info as you can about this place. You noticed a woman that looked somewhat familiar. She was stood before a table as she kneaded dough. 

“Is that...the missing baker?” you whispered to yourself.

You walked up to her.

“Excuse me?” you whispered tapping on her shoulder lightly.

“Oh good day, sweetie,” she beamed happily. She looked to be middle aged with light wrinkles on her face, but she was as happy as someone hitting the jackpot. “If you want some bread, you got to wait for another hour. I’m whipping a fresh batch.”

“Oh, thank you,” you breathed out. “Are you the baker from the country village?”

“Oh yes! I am so glad to escape from the walls of that village. This place is utterly divine.”

“What do you mean? There was nothing wrong with that village.”

“There were many dangers hidden outside the walls and every one knows that the dangers are now inside the walls,”

“Are you happy here?”

“Oh absolutely, I wrote to my sister to come to this place. The ride here was a bit long and uncomfortable but it was so worth it,”

“I see...” you trailed off.

“Now excuse me darling, this bread isn’t going to make itself.”

You moved onto the next group of people. They were huddled together and seemed to be… dancing? You saw Minho with them clearly outdancing the people. The people looked as if they were chickens running around without a head. 

“Minho, what the fuck?” you whispered/yelled at him.

“Excuse me,” Minho called out to them walking over to you. 

“What are you doing?” you seethed. 

“Blending in,” Minho shrugged. “They’re celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?”

“A new life. They are happy here,” Minho stated.

“But why?”

“That’s what we need to find out.”

You and Minho split up again. 

You decided to talk to what seemed like the elected leader of the people. He stood overlooking the construction. You knew he wasn’t a guard due to the lack of weapons and the lack of a threatening appearance. 

“Good day,” he greeted. “Are you new here?”

“Yeah, ” you nodded softly. “People look happy here.”

“That’s because they are. Here we benefit from each other, we share and reward each other with fruits of our own labor. It’s truly freedom.”

“Forgive me, but it doesn’t really look like freedom being locked within these walls with armed men breathing down your necks.”

“It’s less unnerving than the walled village under a government that can turn on you at any moment of the day,” he explained. “Besides, these men don’t get in our way as long as we stay away and offer them tributes.”

“So essentially nothing changed,” you grumbled to yourself.

“You’ll get used to it,” the man in charge patted your shoulder in encouragement. 

~

Meanwhile, Minho was taking in the surroundings to see what opportunities can come up. Even though Minho has some of his reactants, you however are fully ungeared. You do not even have a knife. Minho carefully analyzed what is present before him. The wall looked man-made and relatively recently made too. It doesn’t look too too stable. It looked brittle enough for a simple explosion to take it down. He made note of the resources he saw before him. He could use some fertilizer from the farmland and some gunpowder if he is able to steal a couple of guns to create that explosion.

There was something unsettling happening behind the scenes. The guards were too heavily armed. They do not need straight up automatic weapons just to keep watch over the people. It seems almost over kill. Minho noticed a guarded path where people are not allowed past. 

“Oh no,” Minho whispered to himself.

He noticed a very particular man talking to the guards. He vaguely recognized him, he could never forget that face as he balled up hands into a fist his knuckles turning white. It was  _ that  _ man. That bastard who caused that incident. Minho vividly remembers losing your body to a huge ball of fire. Now enraged, Minho dashed towards the brick wall that separated the path and quickly climbed over the short wall and ducking into the bush. That man continued walking up the guarded path. Minho followed from bush to bush using any wall and tree to obscure himself from the many guards. The man appeared to be meeting with his lieutenants of sorts. 

“We are wasting too much time and resources on these people,” the bastard ranted.

“But sir, if we tend to their paradise fantasy, they’ll be much more willing to help us.We just need more time-”

“Time? Time?! We do not HAVE time. Christopher Bang is now hot on our trail and he will not be so forgiving since we torched his member,” 

“But survival was slim, I doubt they’re still alive,”

“No, they’re alive. Did you forget how they killed our men? They could be here now!” the man threw his arms up in frustration. ”Make the people work, enslave them if you have to. We need to establish our influence then eliminate our enemies. No more gangs, no more mafias, just a singular empire. If the people slack, kill them.”

“Sir, look who we found,” two men appeared from where Minho came from with a man tied up in their arms. “The sly fucker tried to escape.”

“You lie about paradise, this is slavery!” the prisoner spat at them.

The man groaned rolling his eyes like a child. He then proceeded to grab a gun from one of the guards and gunned the prisoner down. The body ragdolled as it rolled slightly down the incline leaving a streak of red.

“Shit,” Minho cursed under his breath.

~

You assessed your situation. You very quickly went to work brooming the dirt floor. You didn’t really see the point brooming dirt just to expose more dirt, but it made you look busy. You noticed how a few of the workers here had light bruises decorating their body. So much for a paradise. It was more of enslavement and serfdom. As you were brooming, your eyes analyzed your surroundings. You were unarmored and unarmed, you needed something to defend yourself. You noticed a guard heading in your direction. You discreetly started brooming closer to him as if you’re cleaning the path before him. The guard chuckled as pride swelled in his chest seeing you brooming the path before him as if he was royalty. As he walked past, you managed to swipe his knife attached to his belt at the small of his back and discreetly hid the blade within the sleeve of your hoodie.

You turned to leave before he noticed you invading his personal space. You accidentally walked straight into a chest. 

“Come with me,” Minho whispered harshly pulling you into an empty unfinished building.

“Minho, what is it?”

“This isn’t paradise, this is slavery. This paradise they’re setting up is so the people would be more willing to take on more arduous labor.”

“I can tell. Some workers had bruises on their bodies.”

“But the problem is, they will execute those who slack,”

“What the fuck?” you cursed under your breath. 

“And  _ he’s  _ here,” Minho whispered holding your hands delicately rubbing small circles on the back of your hand. 

Your breath hitched as your eyes widen. Suddenly it felt as if the world stopped moving around you as every sound faded to a deadly silence as your heart beat rapidly. The beating of your heart seem to echo deafeningly loud against your ear drums. 

“Hey, hey,” Minho shook you lightly snapping you out of your daze before pulling you into his arms.

“It’s alright. It’ll be alright,” Minho whispered into your ear. “I’ll fucking kill him for what he did to you.”

You wrapped your arms around him, burying your face into his shoulders as tears escaped your eyes. Minho tensed up slightly.

“Get the people out,” Minho said sternly.

You pulled backwards in shock looking deeply into his eyes.

“Do what you do best, rally the people who have a grudge and get them out.”

“And what are you going to do?” you whispered.

“I’m going to  _ kill  _ them all,” his face was dead serious. There was not a bit of sarcasm or jest within his words. 

“Minnie,” you began sobbing. “Minnie, please. Don’t do it. You’ll die.”

Minho looked directly into your eyes. He took your face delicately in his hands as if you were the most fragile thing in the world and gently kissed your forehead.

“That’s just the risk I’m going to take.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving it at a cliffhanger, it was originally going to be one large chapter but it’s SO FRICKING LONG (Roughly 13 pages total lol).
> 
> Next chapter would be up tomorrow.


	19. Chapter 7

> Mission Briefing

Location: Civilized Countryside // Codename: Lion’s Den / “Paradise”

Weather: Clear

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : Afternoon

Mission Objective: Find out where the people disappear off to by getting captured yourselves.

Lee Know | Lee Minho

Minho was leaning on the door frame of one of the unfinished buildings on the hill as he looked around. He watched your small figure going from person to person trying to get them out. His heart yearned for you watching you attempt to evacuate. He decided to go on his mission. A one way trip, but he will complete it even if he loses his life for it.

His eyes analyze his surroundings as he creates a strategic plan on how to do it effectively. His eyes gaze around the borders: a man made cement brick walls that is fairly unsturdy but does the job. There were little outcoves along the brick wall and in each one housed at least two armed guards. The walls also had riflemen patrolling the tops. The beach side had very little men patrolling the beach. He noted how the brick walls extends quite a bit into the ocean. Swimming to escape seemed improbable Minho noted. The wall extended to very square shaped waves: a rip tide. Certain death if caught in that. He wondered how many have died building that wall. The shoreline itself had quite a bit of boulders protruding from the waves. Minho noticed the patches of white decorating the rocks: salt. Minho could use that. Minho’s hand began feeling his chest, groping the delicate glass bottles hidden under the fabric.

Then it hit him.

Hyunjin’s antifreeze. Ammonium Nitrate.

Bleach. Minho needed bleach. He looked back to the salt deposits. He could definitely use that. He could use the salt to make the bleach and mix it with his (Hyunjin’s) antifreeze and bottles of hydrogen peroxide he snuck along.

Minho very quickly made his way down the hill through the patches of woods toward the beach and quickly incapacitating every guard he comes along. It was very easy for Minho to sneak behind an unsuspecting guard, put him into a chokehold and squeeze until they pass out from lack of oxygen. Minho would drop a couple of drops of his homemade poison to ensure they would never wake up ever again. He thanked himself for deciding to bring several empty bottles as well as taking the extruded gunpowder from the guard’s guns. 

He very quickly and stealthily took down the meager beach side patrols disposing the bodies into the ocean and very carefully extruded using a knife he picked up from one of the bodies the salt deposits from the rocks into his bottles mixed with hydrogen peroxide and antifreeze. He then very quickly made his way back towards the hill because he remembered seeing a cement mixer. 

He ducked behind behind said cement mixer and tilted it allowing the cement water to dribble out. As the mixer began to drip out the liquid, Minho very quickly fiddled with the thin electrical wires and small alkaline batteries he snuck in as well and connected it to his glass bottles. His glass bottles were so very crafted and forged in cooperation with Hyunjin and Seungmin. The glasses were so fragile and thin that it can shatter under electrical currents, but sturdy enough where the glass wouldn’t disintegrate under layers of clothing. Within the bottle itself were separate compartments that Minho had mastered the art of separating the reactants into each compartment without mixing them together by simply rotating the bottle letting gravity do the work. He popped open the bottles and let the cement water drip into its own separate compartment. 

Minho then snuck past the guards into the agricultural section of the walled off compound. Minho very quickly picked up a hoe and began tilling the ground as the guards looked backwards. Once the guards have passed, Minho very quickly stuffed as much fertilizer as he can into the wired bottles with gunpowder. Once mixed and agitated paired with it being connected to the detonator he brought along, he effectively concocted a pocket C4. He is no Kim Seungmin, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t craft an explosive albeit not as powerful and resource efficient as Seungmin, but Minho got what he needed. Minho did laps around the compound weaving in and out from hiding spot to hiding spot dropping either his poisonous gas bottles in strategic locations and his pocket C4 deep within the buildings and along the walls. As he was doing his rounds, he silently thanked you for successfully evacuating the people. There was no civilian in sight. 

“Hey! Where are all the people?!” Minho heard a guard exclaim in the distance. 

Minho hid himself inside one of the unfinished buildings that had walls at least as he fished out his detonator. With a soft click, he pressed it. Suddenly, one by one a small electrical surge went through each single bottle shattering the glass. The reactants inside then collapsed onto one another creating a chemical reaction: a deadly toxin. Gas erupted from each shattered bottle as every guard in the vicinity dropped one after another as the gas melted them from within. Then, explosions followed as every single one of his pocket C4 went off quickly scaling the brick walls all around. 

That bastard of a man emerged out atop the house atop the hill to witness the chaos. From what he had witnessed, there was no civilian in sight, every guard were mere lifeless corpses littered around the compound and all his hard work were utterly destroyed and in shambles. Then his eyes caught a certain brunet in white hiding in one of the untouched buildings.

“Lee Know,” he growled in realization on who it is.

He watched as Lee Know emerged from his hiding spot and ran towards the exit. The man then followed sprinting down the hill and pulled out a pistol. Unknown to him, Lee Know kept sprinting despite not knowing the man was behind him. The man smirked to himself, it was like catching a deer in his head lights. Aiming his pistol steady and true, he pulled the trigger. The bullet traveled through the air embedding itself deep within his side. Letting out a loud cry of pain, Lee Know tripped and stumbled as his white shirt began to stain and spread with a brilliant red. 

Growling to himself, the bastard marched up to Lee Know as he was incapacitated and hissing in pain. He had a tight grip onto Lee Know’s hair. Lee Know’s hands flew up to the man’s wrist as a searing pain spread throughout his scalp. In his pistol wielding hand, he brought the barrel and aligning it to the back of Lee Know’s head. He let out a small tsk. Once again had he been set back by Stray Kids, but this time. He claimed a victory. His finger gently pulled back on the trigger, but before it was fully pulled he felt many granules of sand, dirt and gravel go into his eyes.

In a desperate attempt of survival, Lee Know had grabbed a handful of the sand beneath him and haphazardly threw it backwards into the bastard’s eyes. The man let go Lee Know’s hair and his body slumped down on the path. Lee Know desperately tried to crawl away but the searing pain in his side greatly held him back. 

“You bastard!” the man bellowed out and fired his gun once more. The bullet this time embedded deep into Lee Know’s shoulder as he fell to the ground screaming in pain once more.

Meanwhile, you managed to make it back to the now destroyed compound once you evacuated the citizens a safe distance away in the nick of time. Slung across your shoulder was a marksman's rifle you picked up from one of the bodies by the destroyed wall. As fast as you could, you quickly parkour up one of the unfinished untouched buildings. Jumping from wood plank to wood plank as you pulled your weight up going higher and higher to reach a better vantage point. 

Growling, the man walked up to Lee Know who is putting pressure on his shoulder wound as the red liquid spewed in between his fingers. He aimed pistol directly at Lee Know’s head as Lee Know glared at him helplessly.

You finally reached the top of the wooden frame. You crouched in position trying to maintain balance as you brought up your markman’s rifle. You held your breath trying to steady your shaking hands as you closed one eye aiming your gun to the man. 

“Come on,” you encouraged yourself. “Remember what Innie taught you.”

The man smirked. “Game over, Lee Know.”

You pulled the trigger. With a loud bang, the bullet traveled from the barrel of your gun, cutting through the air creating a loud whizzing sound as it connected with the wrist of the man’s pistol wielding hand piercing through the skin, muscle and bone going out the other side cleanly. The man staggered in pain with his hand flying to the wound. Lee Know very quickly pulled out a glass bottle in his free hand and easily shattered the glass under the pressure of his fist. The reactants reacted and a thick gray smoke engulfed them both. The man hacked and coughed trying to expel the smoke from his lungs.

You gasped for air attempting to catch your breath and steady your breathing after recovering from that recoil. You could hear your heartbeat echo loudly in your ears as you steadied your arms aiming directly into that smoke.

In that moment, you saw Minho’s smiling face appear before you as a memory. 

You let out a silent sob for him. You gasped softly as you saw Minho’s body slowly crawl out of the thick smoke leaving behind a trail of red before his body slumped.

“Minho,” you breathed out. “Minho! MINHO!”

Tears were streaming down your face as you struggled to keep your arms steady. Slowly and surely the smoke subsided and the silhouette began to appear more and more visible. Letting out a soft exhale, you fired twice making sure to recover from the recoil in between shots: one bullet went into the man’s knee and the other into his shoulder. The man collapsed to the ground with a cry of pain. You quickly jumped straight off of your vantage point wincing as pain shot up your legs. You quickly sprint towards the man before he could escape. You planted your feet firmly on his shoulder putting pressure on the wound preventing the man from getting up. 

“What was your goal here?” You interrogated with the rifle aimed directly at his temple.

The man chuckled darkly. “Killing me here won’t do you any good.”

“What do you mean?”

“Killing me won’t stop the ascension. I’ve already done my part. The rise would be inevitable. Stray Kids will be toppled to the ground. All of you will.”

“And what was your part?” your eyes squinted at him.

“You already know,” he smirked. “_ It was already set in motion that day where I bombed the building you were in. _”

The man very quickly brought the pistol he had in his hand and proceeded to shoot you, the bullet lodging itself in your shoulder before turning the gun on himself and pulling the trigger. You collapsed backwards as pain coursed through your body. Your hand came up and applied pressure on your shoulder. You hissed and sobbed at the pain. Carefully you rolled onto your stomach as you attempt to crawl towards Minho.

“Minho,” you cried out. Your voice broken and weak. “Minho.”

When you reached him, you rolled him over onto his back carefully. You sobbed upon sight of his once white shirt now stained a brilliant red. 

“Minho,” you sobbed shaking his unconscious body. 

When he didn’t respond or stir, you collapsed onto his chest sobbing as darkness enveloped your form. 

**Mission Successful.**

  


Oof. So as you can tell from near the end, we are now going back to the time before you got bedridden in the hospital in the middle of nowhere. Since this story does have romance in it, this is your opportunity to vote for the member you want “Reader” to end up with at the end? (Note: This vote will NOT guarantee that said member will capture Reader’s heart at the end)

Which Stray Kids Member do you want to bring with you for your next mission?

  * Kim Woojin (Light Injury// Will not be available until **1 **members have gone)
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan (Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavy Injury// Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
  * Seo Changbin
  * Hwang Hyunjin
  * Han | Han Jisung 
  * Lee Felix 
  * Kim Seungmin
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra info  
The point of this vote is to IMPROVE the reader's relationship with any of the Stray Kids member of your choosing. The same voting restrictions still apply. So WJ, BC and LK are NOT available for this voting regardless of whether or not you're going on a mission.


	20. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took a while with this chapter. I was playing with a different more disjointed writing style for this chapter. Was a challenge trying to create concurrent imagery that span different times. I actually trashed and redid this chapter like 4 times lmao.
> 
> Anyway, hope y'allsters enjoy!

The atmosphere was tense.

The heavy stench of death lingered.

There were so little activity yet it felt as if the dead were back with a vengeance.

~

Heavy panting can be heard as a pair of hands grab at the screen before them.

~

The pristine beach is now a mass grave.

The beautiful clean sand that almost seemed to glow and glisten breathtakingly under the hot sun on a clear yet cloudy day.

~

Somewhere else in the meantime.

It was dark and silent. There were barely any lights. The only lights presents were blinking and on the verge of dying.

The air that once permeated with mutual content and comfort that a family shared, was now tense as a chill traveled up all of the building’s inhabitants' spines. There was no loud yelling. No laughter. No pitter pattering of feet. Just a dark and silent home where ten lived in harmony. 

But of the ten, two were not present: one on the verge of death.

~

The sea sparkled a brilliant blue hue, The dark color perfectly complemented the clear blue sky.

~

The silence was distrubed by a loud metal clattering. There were loud exhales and gasps of disbelief. The medic/engineer collided with the metal cart of supplies behind him as his hands frantically grabbed at the cool metal to maintain balance. His eyes were blown out in shock as panic and fear wracked through his system as it got harder and harder to breathe.

~

The clean beachside front is now polluted and littered with rubble and residue, The tan grains of sand now dyed and stained a brilliant red. The pristine clean and clear water is now filled with lifeless corpses, the bodies floating and swaying with the waves as their faces remained frozen in a silent scream and dead eyes. 

An explosion can be heard in the distance. A demolitionist was in full sprint towards the so called “Paradise.” As he ran, he was pursued, but the pursuers were quickly disposed of by the demolitionist dropping homemade pocket C4 like breadcrumbs.

~

The medic/engineers stared at the third screen down on the left column in horror. The once vibrant green screen signifying excellent health now glowed a menacing red. A sharp contrast to the eight greens surrounding and a singular almost as worrisome orange. 

The red screen.

_ 리노 _

The heartbeat monitor displayed with a brilliant flashing red orange light has a singular word displaying on the lower left corner of the screen. 

**DANGER**

With haste, the medic/engineer barrelled out the room and down the hallway. The name of his leader erupted from his throat repeatedly as the inhabitants of the rooms past sprung out of the rooms appearing in the doorways ready, alert and worried. 

~

The demolitionist stood before two unconscious bodies. A pool of blood surrounded the pair as his shoes stepped into the darkening pool staining the dirt beneath him. 

He delicately pried the smaller body off the toxin specialist and very carefully slung both bodies over either shoulders.

||

“Seungmin! Put me down!” You exclaimed lightly hitting his back lightly with your balled fists. 

The chemistry student merely smirked at your immature antics.

The two of you weren’t friends per se, but you wouldn’t go as far as to call the both of you enemies. You were a bit of a goody two shoes and always go out of your way to report all suspicious activity on the campus. You had caught Seungmin picking on Jisung again and went up to the chemist to write him up. As per usual, Seungmin wasn’t having it. He never would.

And here you are now, pathetically slung over his shoulder as he carried you away. You knew where he was taking you. He took you there every time.

Seungmin pulled open the door of one of the more deserted janitor’s closet. It was so out of the way that it’s hardly any janitor’s first choice and it most definitely have a lack of nearby students. Hardly any students passed by here due to the shady and creepy atmosphere.

Even though the walled in city was safe, the paranoia of the dangers outside still lingered. The deserted hallways felt as if it had a distorted reality. There was no present danger but any who walked by without the proper constitution would get so wracked by paranoia where the imagined dangers seemed real. 

In the dark dusty room with a singular hanging bulb, Seungmin would toss you onto the ground. Your bottom met the floor ungracefully as Seungmin closed the door behind him quite harshly. The impact sent vibrations through the walls that would unsettle the dust as vision would slightly get hindered by the particles. You let out a small whine from the stinging pain radiating from the impact. Before you can protest or chide him, Seungmin would kneel before you and pull you into a bone crushing embrace and nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck.

Your arms protest, grabbing and pushing at him and sometimes digging your nails into his shoulders in a dire attempt to make him let you go. Seungmin would let out a small puppy whine and pouted. You felt your defenses weaken at the sound and wanted nothing more but to let him in. Before you even had a chance to raise your arms to return the embrace, Seungmin would pull away with a shit-eating smirk as he brought his index finger to his lips ordering your silence. 

Seungmin was already out and gone with the door shut as he left before you could properly register what just happened, your mind still puddy from your lowered defenses. 

A soft click echoed through the silence.

Every time.

Seungmin got you every time.

And everytime you still lowered your defenses to let him in.

Only for him to leave you alone like a deer in headlights.

~

You swore Seungmin only existed to make your life a living hell. You always thought it was a waste of talent for a practically math genius Seungmin to pick on people. You knew blackmail when you see it.

Doesn’t mean you had immunity towards it. Not towards Seungmin at least.

You noticed how Seungmin and two others hanging around one of the campus’ empty buildings. You recognized the two being top students in their respective subjects.

They were definitely doing shady stuff.

Today however, looks as if it was only Seungmin that’s present. You never saw the other two from your not so discreet hiding spot under the shade of a tree with your nose pressed into a book. 

You rushed to follow Seungmin into the building once you see him disappear behind the closing door. 

You didn’t take that long to enter after the boy. You made it in before the door closed completely, but it seemed as if Seungmin vanished into midair.

Sighing to yourself, you began walking down the dimly lit hallway and peeked into every passing door’s window pane. You noticed how the hallways cameras were all facing down, the led next to the lens were off.

Why were the cameras off?

You also noticed the smoke detectors were also disabled. 

Your thoughts were cut off when you heard a loud explosion ripped through the silence. Your ears rang lightly as it seemed as if the world was moving.

“Seungmin?” You breathed out. Panic bubbled deep within your chest. “Seungmin? SEUNGMIN!”

“Wow, you can’t leave me alone, huh?”

You whipped around to see Seungmin himself in the flesh perfectly fine and uninjured just his attire and visage covered in dark soot. You let out a loud sigh of relief as you ran up to him wrapping your arms around his frame in a bone crushing embrace.

“Alright, dummy,” Seungmin chuckled patting your back lightly. “Did you really have that little faith in me that you genuinely thought I was hurt?”

Seungmin rubbed your back in circles as his other hand rested gently on your waist. You mumbled softly into his shoulders. “Absolutely not. Not at all. You’re totally bonkers, insane. You’re going to scale this building and I’m going to have to write you up. Or worse, writing an autopsy report.”

“Thank you,” Seungmin whispered into your ear resting his chin on your shoulder.

“I wasn’t serious.”

“I was.”

You pulled back slightly in confusion to see a genuine smile on his face with his eyes show a loving and touched emotion. You felt your lips twitch upwards upon sight of him looking so vulnera-

“Now stop stalking me, dummy creeper.”

You would most definitely hear a pin drop from the silence that followed.

You fell for it again.

~

“Wow  [by 3RACHA], you actually came,” you perked up from the bench you were sitting on.

“Of course I did, dummy,” Seungmin smiled, putting his hands into his black hoodie pocket.

“No fucking with Felix?” you jested with a smirk playing on your lips.

“Do you not realize who I am?” Seungmin scoffed. “Let’s just say Felix won’t be leaving detention without being griefed.”

“You customized an exit denial device didn’t you?”

“ _ Ooooh  _ yea,” Seungmin chuckled. 

“It’s not an ice bucket above the door is it?”

“Lame.”

“Oh dear,” you hand went up to your cheek in worry for the freckled Australian.

“So how am I going to get up there?” Seungmin pointed to the roof, his eyes never leaving yours wearing a face of disbelief.

“Uhh… parkour?”

Seungmin quirked an eyebrow.

“Sorry, I didn’t think that far ahead...” you looked off to the side rubbing the back of your neck nervously.

“You give me a boost and launched me up there?”

“Bad idea.”

“I stand on your shoulder and you stand up?” Seungmin suggested slinging his arm around your shoulders while pointing upwards with his index finger.

“Even worse,” you shrugged off his arm.

“So what do you suggest?” 

“Just get on my back, I’ll carry you up.”

“Your noodle arms can carry me?”

. . .

~

“I hate this place,” Seungmin mumbled. His arms were loosely wrapped around your shoulders with his legs finding purchase hooked onto your waist, his chest flush against your back. 

You let out a loud exhale as you gripped on the window sill. You looked back to see Seungmin gazing longingly at the wall. That damned wall.

“What do you want to do?” You whispered as you continued your climb.

“I want to destroy the wall.”

Your hand reached over the edge of the roof one after another as you pulled the both of you up.

“You do know what is out there, right?” you settled down on the cold roof, bringing your knees to your chest,

“Yea,” Seungmin sat next to you pulling you into his lap as you both gaze at the wall. At your vantage point, you can see beyond the tall concrete walls lined with barbed wire at the top. 

“The walls protect us from dangers outside. So many mafias and gangs. So much corruption. That doesn't include all the murders and kidnappings.”

“But what if the true dangers aren’t what is out there? But in here? Those mafias exist for a reason. What if they’re rebelling against something from inside? The people here are hardly people anymore. They’re sheeple that can be herded by the shepherd called the government.”

“I don’t want to become like them,” you whispered. “What if the schools existed only to turn us all into sheeple, brainwashing us into the same system. Schools only exist to condition people to work 8 hours a day. I don’t want to be like them. I don’t want to lose my humanity.”

“You won’t. I promise,” Seungmin whispered into your hair. “You see past the wall, right?”

“It’s dark and empty.”

“I know. Dark, so we won’t be attracted to the government’s light like moths only to discover it’s a flame and empty, so we could be free without any restrictions.”

“Wait,  _ we? _ ” you whispered, shock evident in your voice and you broke free from his embrace to face him.

“Of course, dummy,” Seungmin smiled genuinely. “I promise.”

Seungmin thought to himself right then and there,  _ ‘I’ll get you out of here,  _ ** _I promise._ ** _ ’ _

“This better not be one of your stupid blackmails again, Shit-min.”

. . .

  
  



	21. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The incident that left you bedridden for months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important Update regarding votes!
> 
> Look at it at the end of the chapter
> 
> Not proofread or beta read because it's 5 in the morning, today we die like MEN!

“What do you want to do? What are your end goals?“ Seungmin narrowed his eyes towards the man before him. 

“Surely you feel the same?” the blonde smiled.

“Whatever it is you’re trying to sweet talk me into, you can not fool me,” Seungmin seethed through clenched teeth.

The man before him was leaning on the desk in the center of the dark room, the only light was the swinging bulb between the two males. His leg was heavily casted and splinted as the blonde balanced his crutches against the table’s edge. Seungmin’s eyes narrowed at the top ranking student.

“It would be beneficial for the two of us to cooperate.  _ You  _ want to leave these walls and destroy them.  _ I  _ have seen what happens behind closed doors behind the squeaky clean facade the government puts up,” the blond gestured Seungmin’s gaze to his side tapping his fingers over the smooth surface of his laptop. “These walls need to come down.  _ Our  _ interests align.”

Seungmin’s eyes traveled to the side staring intently at the ground as he loses himself deep in thought.

“On one condition-” Seungmin started but interrupted himself with an audible gulp.

“Anything,” the blond’s voice was soft as he smiled genuinely in understanding and compassion.

“Why me?” Seungmin questioned whispering in a hushed voice.

“You’re absolutely fully capable,” the blond smiled. “Have you already forgotten who was the one who disabled all the cameras and looped the security footage? I’ve  _ seen  _ what you are capable o-”

“I refuse,” Seungmin snapped, effectively shutting up the blond. His mouth closed in mild shock in the sudden outburst.

“Not without my friend. I’m not leaving them alone in this bitch of a world. Without them, you won’t have me,” Seungmin finalized.

~

“Seungmin,” Chan called out walking into the room opening the door softly. 

The demolitionist had a leg propped up on a crate as he strapped a knife to the side of his calf. He looked up to the gaze of his leader. Seungmin had stern eyes as he looked him up and down. 

“Here,” Chan smiled softly delicately placing a metal tin on the crate before him. “It’s gas. Maybe you can use it. Gasoline is a rarity these day-”

“What do you want?” Seungmin got straight to the point.

Chan sighed. “I want you to reconsider. Maybe you can bring Fel-”

“No,” Seungmin snapped.

“I just don’t think they’re rea-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Bang,” Seungmin pointed his finger at the elder as if he was instigating a fight. 

“Just be careful, ok?” Chan sighed softly, turning to leave. Chan glanced back at Seungmin’s glaring face. “Fail the mission if you must, just get back  _ safe _ .”

The door closed softly behind him.

~

In a typical Seungmin manner, Seungmin made a rather loud entrance by kicking open the warehouse door.

You jumped in surprise from the loud echoing sound. “Minnie, what the fuck?” you say scoldingly. “You scared me.”

You were settled on one of the couches in the center of the warehouse. The empty building acted as a lounge area of sorts for the members. At the center of the room was a large square fluffy rug that is pitch black in color. On that rug were several couches and bean bag chairs as well as a singular glass rectangular table.

In the corner of the large warehouse which was quite a bit away is their basic kitchen setup. On the upper levels of the warehouse are large balconies and walkways that lined the upper perimeter. The main ladder leading up to it was in complete disrepair due to age and frequent use. Seungmin was to fix it, but whenever the topic was brought up Seungmin would shrug and merely reply with a simple “climb.” Despite this, he himself can not access the upper walkways in this manner nor the other members with the exception of a select few. **[A/N: Can you guess who? Lol]**.

“You should've been ready and alert, dummy,” Seungmin smirked.

“Yeah, yeah,” you mumbled. “Didn’t know I had to be alert waiting for you.”

“Yes, dummy. You would never know if I was a traitor and can back stab you at any given moment of time,” Seungmin chuckled, jabbing his index and middle finger firmly into your side. 

You let out a loud  ** _“AHH”_ ** in response to his sudden action and jumped away.

“You ready, dummy? Before I jab you again?” 

“Yeah, yeah, Shitmin.”

Seungmin jolted forward to jab you again as you shrieked jumping away from his attack.

~

“You do know what to do, right?” Seungmin’s voice buzzed through your in-ear comms.

“Yeah, yeah. Locate and eliminate the target, destroy any evidence of Stray Kid’s involvement” you confirmed responding to the small device fashioned and implemented by Bang Chan.

Your mission locale was a small rural town in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing but dry desert like lands and steep cliff sides in your immediate surroundings. The large cliff sides hid many dangers of their own. Who knows which one of the surrounding shrubbery was an enemy in a ghillie suit? 

Stealth was of the essence and you can not afford to fuck it up. Not only did you have to stay hidden from those you can see, but those you can not as well.

Within your hand, you wielded a standard 9mm handgun equipped with a hand made suppressor. Seungmin absolutely DESPISED how it looked with its old worn out yellowing rag held together with mere zipties and tape, but not even he can deny the effectiveness of it compared to a standard suppressor. You wouldn’t have it any other way when Seungmin offered to make you a just as efficient one with a much better visual, but you admired the fruits of your own labor despite how fucking ugly it looked. (Not that you would admit it out loud.)

“The man you’re looking for is hidden somewhere in this locale  according to I.N during his recon mission . Be careful because the man has a protective detail, so don’t get spotted,” Seungmin informed.

You lay prone in one of the dry shrubbery as you tightened your suppressor on the threaded end of your barrel. Along the pathway you’re scouting one man currently patrolling up and down. You briefly checked your mags to ensure you had tranquilizers equipped. You were still uneasy about taking another life, but no one in Stray Kids were pressuring you in anyway and you were thankful for that. You lined up the headshot as you aimed down your sights and pulled the trigger. The man ragdolled as he went out like a light. You quickly ran to the man and lifted in unconscious body onto your shoulders. 

Using the night as your veil, you entered the small locale. The buildings were rather archaic. They were various shades of the dull colors of tan and gray with the building made majorly of hardened and tempered clay as well as a few concrete blocks. You settled behind a dumpster as your earpiece buzzed back to life.

“That dumpster. You can use that to dump your body or hide in it yourself,” Seungmin paused as the earpiece buzzed softly with static. “Just don’t come anywhere near me afterwards.”

You quickly disposed of the body by tossing it into the metal component and letting the lid drop down. You gave little to no regard to the amount of noise you’re making.

“What was that?” a voice in the background perked up.

“Wow  <strike> [by 3RACHA] </strike> , you get a D for effort, because you gave none,” Seungmin added.

You scoffed as you dolphin dive sliding under a table as a man came up to investigate.

“Careful,” Seungmin reminded. “We still don’t know the whereabouts of our guy, don’t cause more trouble, or attract unwanted attention” 

“Are you telling me how to be stealthy, Shitmin?” you chuckled into your mic.

“Hey, if I had the ability to be Han fucking Jisung, then I wouldn’t be the one setting up all the explosives,  _ hmm? _ ” Seungmin chided sarcastically before buzzing off.

The man that came to investigate leaned over the dumpster with his weapon up and ready. He lifted the lid to see the contents as you rushed over kneeing him straight center on his back. Your forward momentum sent him head first into the lid, colliding with the wall, immediately knocking the man unconscious as he fell forward atop of the man you hid earlier as the lid fell shut.

“Geez, can you make any more noise?” Seungmin buzzed in.

You scoffed. “And what are  _ you _ doing? Where are you?”

“Portable toilet. 6 o’clock.”

You turned 180 degrees and lo and behold, a singular porta-potty. You shook your head lightly as you rested a hand on your hip. 

“Pay attention! Don’t gawk at me,” Seungmin scolded. “Look for our guy. Find a building with a more loaded defense. I’ll set up the explosives once you’re in.”

~

It didn’t take that long to find the point of interest. It was one of the signal towers scattered throughout the locale. There were men at every entrance, ledge and balcony all over the old worn out buildings as well as patrols around and on the rooftops.

“Think you can handle them, Minnie?” 

“Of course not,” Seungmin scoffed. “Loosen their ranks for me, yeah?”

After making quiet and brief rounds around the building traveling from shadow to shadow, you pinpointed a weak spot with lesser guards and within a blind spot from all the patrols. It was a simple back wall hidden inconspicuously behind a short brick fence. The three men more or less gave away the location of the door. Without them, you might’ve, emphasis on  _ might _ , missed the door.

“Are these mafias or amateurs?” you chuckled to yourself.

“Don’t lower your guard just because you think these guys are idiots,” Seungmin scolded.

You headshotted the man in the middle, the man immediately fell slumped. The men on either side quickly reacted out of shock and reflex towards their fallen ally. In their moment of shock, you and Seungmin rushed forward, one for each of you. You both slung an arm around the men’s neck using it as leverage to swing around their bodies and tactically suffocated them into unconsciousness (Seungmin straight up killed the man by snapping his neck) as you gently hid him behind the protruding wall to hide the bodies from patrols.

Seungmin immediately went to work rigging his C4 to the base of the building as you quietly entered from the back door. Soon after you headed inside you spotted a man by the window smoking a cigarette. You smirked at the man who’s obviously slacking on the job. You quickly disposed of him as you donned his clothes over your own. Your current attire acted as a filler for the man’s larger outfit as you hid the body into one of the cupboards in the corner of the room.

Seungmin quickly ducked into the room deploying another explosive as you headed up the stairs quickly taking care of every unsuspecting guard. Seungmin followed moments after quickly hiding every body you left behind.

“Keep going, dummy. I’m right behind you,” Seungmin whispered. “Just remember what Felix and Woojin hyung taught you.”

As you head closer and closer to the top, you can hear the frustrated bellows of your target more and more clearly. 

“Cursed Bang Christopher Chan. He thinks he’s so good creating his own mafia,” the man stated. The floor above you shook slightly as dirt and dust displaced from the bricks due to the man’s frustrated pacing stomps. “Stray Kids aren’t even that good. They’re just kids who got lucky.”

You stopped before a ladder leading up to a wooden trap door above you. You assumed you reached the top due to the clarity of the man’s voice.

“The C4s are set,” Seungmin informed through the in-ear piece. “I’ve already headed out, I’ll see you at the rendezvous.”

You climbed up the wooden ladder. The old wood creaked and moaned under your weight.

“Bang Chan is playing a dangerous game. It’s time to show those kids that this business isn’t a game they want to be playing.”

You reached the top as you ever so slightly pushed open the trap door just enough to have a peek through. You see two sets of feet, one of your target and one of his goons.

“What do you intend to do, boss?”

“Going to send Bang Chan and Stray Kids a message,” the man gazed at you at the trapdoor unbeknownst to you due to your limited line of sight.

Your earpiece buzzed back to life. “GET OUT OF THERE!” Seungmin’s voice boomed with urgency. Over his exclamation you can make out his rapid footsteps and labored breathing as well as the loud crunching of dirt and gravel beneath his feet.

“We’re going to show Bang Chan what it means to play with fire. You play with fire, you’re going to get burned.”

The man grabbed his goon and tossed him over the trap door. The weight of his body slammed into the wood door against your head causing you to slip off the ladder falling to the floor below with a loud thud and groan.

“GET OUT!” Seungmin panicked. “I’VE LOST ALL CONTROL OVER THE C4. SOMEONE’S OVERRID-”

“Say goodbye to your precious member,  _ Christopher, _ ” the man seethed as he jumped off the tower landing on one of the rooftops below. He pulled the trigger on the ignition device he had in his hand.

One by one you heard explosions go off as you feel the building shake and crumble around you as each and every one of Seungmin’s C4 went off.

You felt no pain as the dark building lit up as you became engulfed in flames.

Somewhere in the distance, the demolitionist’s knees buckled at the sight of the building collapsing and burst into flames leaving nothing behind other than rubble, ashes and smoke.

Seungmin collapsed to his knees as he screamed in horror.

~

Seungmin barges into Hyunjin’s room, the door slamming against the wall loudly. The impact can be heard echoing down the hallway as the walls shook lightly. Hyunjin jumped in response. His mechanical wings expanded as he went into a fight or flight stance with a stern look on his face. His face didn’t lighten up at the sight of Seungmin, his posture, however, did straighten up.

“Get out,  _ Hwang, _ ” Seungmin snapped. Hyunjin didn’t respond. His mechanical wings flared a bit in response due to his nerves acting up towards Seungmin’s harsh tone.

But Hyunjin had a responsibility as the group’s medic. You had just been extracted from the hospital in the middle of nowhere and you were still fully bandaged and injured. Seungmin stomped forward towards Hyunjin as the medic quickly went into a defensive stance.

“ _ Move _ ”, Seungmin’s voice is dripping with venom.

Hyunjin let out a small  _ tsk  _ as he flashed two fingers indicating that Seungmin only had two minutes. Hyunjin side stepped Seungmin performing a series of hops to gain traction for his short glide towards the door closing the door silently behind him. Once the door closed, Seungmin felt his strong walls shattering and come tumbling down. Seungmin’s stern expression fell into one of weep and despair. Seungmin gasped out whimpering softly as tears well up in his eyes. As he trudged over to your unconscious body, he felt his knees buckling. Within a few feet of your cot, Seungmin collapsed to his knees, his hand grasping yours gently as he sobbed into your bandaged arm.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry,” Seungmin sobbed. “It’s all my fault.”

Seungmin sat upright a bit as he delicately rested his hand on your head taking extra precaution as if you were made of delicate glass.

“I should’ve listened to Chan hyung. I shouldn’t have brought you. It’s all my fault,” Seungmin sniffled.

“Dummy?” Seungmin whispered. “Dummy, can you hear me?”

The sound of the door knob wiggling and the slight creaking from the door opening slowly prompted Seungmin to shoot up to a standing position and to very quickly wiping away his tears with his sleeve as he faced the figure in the doorway.

“Time’s up, Seungmin,” Hyunjin stated.

“Whatever,” Seungmin’s voice cracked slightly as he put up a strong front. He walked passed Hyunjin purposefully bumping shoulders with the medic. Hyunjin looked onto Seungmin’s back profile with an unreadable expression as Seungmin closes the door behind him.

~

It had been the same, just like that day back then.

The destruction.

The flames.

The looming black smoke.

The smell of death, so much death.

Only this time, Seungmin was a bit more stubborn.

Seungmin had successfully extracted both you and Minho from the rubble that used to be “Paradise.” He had unceremoniously dumped Minho’s unconscious body in the hallway before Hyunjin’s door. 

Seungmin was no medic, but he knew his way around bullet extraction and gauzing up deep injuries. He kept you locked up in his room with your unconscious body wrapped securely in his arms under the sheets of his bed. Seungmin’s sniffles can be heard throughout the empty room. 

“I’m so sorry,” Seungmin sobbed. “I shouldn’t have gotten you involved. We could’ve found another way.”

“It’s all my fault,” Seungmin choked out.

“ _ It’s all my fault, _ ” Seungmin’s voice could not have sounded more broken.

~

**~ \\\\\ ~ ** ** _Bearing Update_ ** ** ~ /// ~**

  * Kim Woojin : **53**
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan : **55**
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho : **55**
  * Seo Changbin : **50**
  * Hwang Hyunjin : **50**
  * Han | Han Jisung : **50**
  * Lee Felix : **50**
  * Kim Seungmin : **60**
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin : **50**

~

**Back to the Present**

Mission Briefing

Location: Walled Settlement

Weather: TBD

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : TBD

Mission Objective: Follow the lead provided by Bang Chan

Mission Partner: 

  1. Which Stray Kids Member do you want to bring with you for your next mission?
  * Kim Woojin (Light Injury)
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan (Will not be available until **1 **members have gone)
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavily injured// Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
  * Seo Changbin
  * Hwang Hyunjin
  * Han | Han Jisung 
  * Lee Felix 
  * Kim Seungmin (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin

**New Voting Opportunities**

At this point on, you can now send SKZ members to side ops missions. A brief preview of this works can be seen with the underline quote “according to I.N during his recon mission.” It will be more fully understood later on when the time arises.

Note: The same mission constraints apply to these as well. The point of this is to have the reader to put more thought into who they send on a main mission. The main idea of this is to limit the pool of members so it’s not ALWAYS the best fit being sent on the mission (or this story will be a bajillion chapters long.) HOWEVER, the bearings will NOT be updated with those who are sent on these missions, and the amount of time they will have before they will be available for the next main mission or side op will be randomized between the numbers 1-5.

2nd Note: These side ops missions will have a  **100% SUCCESS RATE ** despite whether or not the member you send is fit for the job.

3rd Note:  **ONLY ** the side ops missions will have the “None” option, meaning the missions won’t be taken and the member will remain on standby. The main idea for this is to create “opportunities” during the main story missions and when you choose “none,” you lose these opportunities.

** _So when opportunity knocks, do you open?_ **

  1. Side Ops 1: Gather resources to restock on supply.
    1. Which Stray Kids Member do you want to send on this mission?
    * Kim Woojin (Light Injury)
    * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan (Will not be available until **1 **members have gone)
    * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavily injured// Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
    * Seo Changbin
    * Hwang Hyunjin
    * Han | Han Jisung 
    * Lee Felix 
    * Kim Seungmin (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
    * I.N | Yang Jeongin
    * None
  1. Side Ops 2: Recon mission to learn more info on the surroundings.
    1. Which Stray Kids Member do you want to send on this mission?
    * Kim Woojin (Light Injury)
    * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan (Will not be available until **1 **members have gone)
    * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavily injured// Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
    * Seo Changbin
    * Hwang Hyunjin
    * Han | Han Jisung 
    * Lee Felix 
    * Kim Seungmin (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
    * I.N | Yang Jeongin
    * None

** _3 Voting Opportunities. Please Vote on All 3!!!_ **

  1. Main Mission
  2. Side Ops 1
  3. Side Ops 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember it's 3 votes :eyes:  
Please read through it carefully before voting <3  
Happy Voting.  
May the odds be ever in your favor
> 
> If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
> 
> Also talk to me, I'm a lonely soul lmao or don't that's fine too  
Twitter/Instagram: Lucario55076  
Tumblr: stanskzseungmin


	22. Chapter 10

Ongoing Missions

Side Ops 1: Gather Supplies // -Not Accepted-  **[Bearing Update: Opportunity lost***]**

Side Ops 2: Recon // Han | Han Jisung 

  
  


Mission Briefing

Location: Walled Settlement

Weather: TBD

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : TBD

Mission Objective: Follow the lead provided by Bang Chan

Mission Partner: Hwang Hyunjin

You winced as a searing pain disrupted your slumber. Your hand flew up to your exposed heavily gauzed shoulder, panic bubbled deep within you once you realize you’re not wearing what you wore during your last mission. You were in a bed that at first seemed unfamiliar. You whimpered upon realization of two warm hands firmly grasping your waist, the thumbs absentmindedly rubbing small circles into your flesh over the thin material.

You thrashed against your supposed assaulter as bile went up your throat with the thoughts of how you might have possibly been violated. Tears went down your face in streams, you temple and hair growing more damp due to the flowing salty liquid, as the hands delicately running up and down your sides fueled your panic.

“Shh...” you wailed towards the voice. Your line of sight was obstructed by the thin white sheet between you both. You threw your hand toward the sound of your supposed assaulter’s voice, your balled fist barely grazed his face.

“Let me go or I’m going to snap your neck!” you seethed through clenched teeth in false bravado as your voice shook slightly.

“Dummy...” the voice sniffled.

Your breath hitched in your throat towards the familiar voice. A hand removed itself from your waist and lifted up the sheet that obstructed both your views revealing the sight of a very broken Seungmin. You felt a pang of pain in your heart as your chest constricted painfully. His cheeks were bloated with dried tears. His eyes were red, puffy and glossed over. His nose was red on end from what you assumed to be repeated rubbing with the rough fabric of his sleeve.

“Minnie?” you breathed out heartbroken at Seungmin’s weak state. His usual stront front was broken and in tatters.

You awkwardly chuckled trying to break the tense atmosphere. You were at unease from never seeing Seungmin in such a weak state. “Come on, Shitmin. Aren’t you going to jab me in the s-”

“Dummy,” he interrupted. His voice was soft and weak, but his tone made it clear that he wasn’t in the mood for light banter at the moment. 

You gulped. A series of loud knocking erupted through the silence. You yelped at the sudden sound.

“YAH! Seungmin! I know you’re in there!” Hyunjin yelled out banging on the door once more. The door creaked and moaned under the forceful repeated impacts of the medic. The next series of knocking, each more forceful than the last shook the walls. Suddenly another set of even more forceful (if it was possible) bangings vibrated through the walls from the neighboring room.

“SHUT UP, YOU STUPID SQUIRREL! This isn’t about YOU!” Hyunjin barked. “KIM SEUNGMIN!” Hyunjin turned his attention back to the door, this time kicking at it as well.

“Just go, dummy,” Seungmin whispered.

“But-”

“No,” Seungmin interrupted with finality flicking your forehead sniffling softly.

“Jesus Christ. Fucking FINALLY!” Hyunjin bellowed out raising his hands in frustration seeing you walk out of the demolitionist’s room.

“Jinnie, I- AAH!” Hyunjin interrupted by pressing his thumb directly onto your bullet wound. He scowled. His lips had a prominent frown as his eyebrows furrowed angrily. You could feel his anger radiating off his body. You could almost  see a fuming red aura surrounding him.

“I can not believe you got shot, AGAIN!” Hyunjin leaned forward with your noses touching as he exploded in your face and continued his disapproving outburst. “Your behavior is so UGH!”

He whipped out in frustration, you could see a prominent vein protruding from his exposed neck as his wings trembled and flared.

“Jinnie,” you responded meekly,

“Go to Chan hyung!” Hyunjin whipped his head around and spat at you before storming down the hallway pausing momentarily before his door. His head whipped around to face you and you gulped in reaction to his scorned face. “Come see me afterwards, you brainless blubbering idiot!” He slammed the door shut behind him. The sound can be heard reverberating throughout the empty hallway. 

You stood there fear stricken as your face reddened in embarrassment as you saw many doors open and the worried faces of Felix, Changbin, Woojin and Jeongin stuck out to look at you with an unreadable expression, but you knew they looked at you with pity. You dropped your head as you do the walk of shame towards Chan’s office, your face getting impossibly more red from the lingering stares following your body. As you head down the hallway, you pass Minho’s slightly ajar door, your feet wafting through the whimsy smoke as you pass by.

**[Voting Opportunity: Do you want to see Lee Know | Lee Minho?]**

“Channie?” you called out, knocking softly as you push open the door. 

You peered into the dark room, and there you see your leader slouched over his laptop. A black beanie was sitting atop his blond locks. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt and a black jacket slung over it. A side of it was sliding off his shoulder, exposing his bare left shoulder and bicep.You stepped into the room quietly softly closing the door behind you, wincing in pain as your shoulder flared. As if a rapid response to your wince, Chan abruptly spun around on his chair. You flinched at the action. You backed up rapidly, your heart repeatedly thumping in your chest as your back collided with the closed door. Chan stood from his seat abruptly and stomped towards you.

“Stupid! Stupid stupid stupid!” Chan spat at you. “I never should’ve let you gone on that mission. Minho almost died!  _ You _ almost died, you- you--  _ you, _ ” Chan’s voice cracked at the end pulling you into his warm embrace. Your eyes widen as the sudden action. Chan pulled back slightly, just enough to face you and cup your face with his hands. “ _ Stupid. _ ” His voice broken and weak as he turned away to sit back on his chair.

Chan let out a defeated exhale as his shoulders slumped.

“You don’t need to say anything,” Chan whispered out, fully knowing how you were regarding staying on standby. “You are to follow the lead Seungmin uncovered from the man’s body.”

“Chan-”

“ _ Don’t _ ,” Chan sighed. “Come back with a name. Hyunjin is to accompany you, so you won’t make anymore reckless decisions. Now leave.”

“Channie-”

“ _ Now. _ ”

~

“You could not have possibly taken any longer,” Hyunjin scolded, slamming his book shut making his way over to you sitting on one of Hyunjin’s many cots in his room.

“Were you the one who requested this mission?” you asked feeling down about yourself. The aura of failure weighed in at your soul as you remembered Minho crawling out of the puff of smoke falling limp in a pool of his own blood.

“I merely requested for me to accompany you for the mission,” Hyunjin stated, withdrawing the liquid from a delicate small bottle as he held the syringe up flicking at it to check for any air bubbles.

You didn’t answer as you looked off to the side as self deprecating thoughts filled your mind. Hyunjin carefully removed the gauze the Seungmin had taped onto your wound. He delicately cleaned the blood off the wound and the surrounding area with an alcohol soaked swab. It stung, a lot, but the stinging pain of failure overshadowed the pain.

“I’m going to slap you,” Hyunjin broke you out of your thoughts. “Depression is out of my field of expertise.”

You rolled your eyes at his response. For a medic, Hyunjin really had a lack of empathy for human emotions. Those in the underground who knew of him spoke of him as if he was an angel due to his choice of attire, matching white wings and an angelic face to match, but the man before you was no angel, he was a demon posing as angel.

“Normally you squirm like a tiny child whenever I tended to you,” Hyunjin paused seeing your downed expression, inject his “magic liquid” directly into your bullet wound. “Your mind is wandering to places where it shouldn’t. You belong here with us.”

You snorted to yourself. A  _ demon,  _ more like fallen angel. Perhaps he isn’t as heartless as he seemed. You never had much opportunity to familiarize yourself with the medic. Like Chan, he was always swept away in his work especially when he has nine lives-- ten including his own-- on his hands at all times, ready to respond whenever the need arises.

~

“A name,” Hyunjin reminded. “Any ideas?”

Hyunjin asked you as he discarded his cloak in one of the bushes by his feet, revealing his squeaky clean pearly white skin tight attire with black accents. It hugged his form perfectly at all places in all the right ways. His attire had some sort of pearlescent sheen that matched his wings. The sun’s light refracted off it at the perfect angle giving Hyunjin a rather ethereal otherworldly look. You look at him in awestruck as he slipped on a pair of pitch black latex gloves and adjusted his black neck cover to cover his entire neck and rested snuggly under his jawline. A stark color contrast but somehow enhanced his visual. He turned to look at you expectantly for an answer as his honey brown fringe barely covered one of his eyes.

“Take a picture, it lasts longer.”

“Sorry,” you breathed out. “You’re  _ beautiful. _ ”

Your eyes traveled to the side as a rosy color dusted your cheeks. Your eyes went back to him in confusion due to the lack of response. Hyunjin continued to look straight at you, his head tilted a bit with a crooked genuine smile.

“What?” you inquired.

“Nothing.”

“Look,” you pointed out to an enemy outpost.

“That’s the lead Chan hyung provided?”

“Yeah. Jeongin noted an influx of activity in regards to his recent report.”

“Looks like a supply line,” Hyunjin noted. “I know how we’re going to get the name.”

“Enlighten me.”

“See those crates,” Hyunjin pointed out. “They’re obviously going to someone, but what if said person never receive their delivery?”

“Then they reveal themselves demanding where their packages are,” you responded, catching on quickly.

“Now have at it,” Hyunjin commanded.

You choked on air. “And what are you going to do?” You asked wide eyed towards your medic.

“Lowering their numbers, because  _ you  _ can not be trusted to not get shot.” Hyunjin responded bluntly without hesitation.

“Ouch,” you responded offended. 

~

You were ducking behind one of the wooden crates out of sight. The fenced off area you were in was crawling with enemies. You were separated from your partner. If things were to go awry, you were on your own. From your hiding spot you watched the guards patrol creating a mental map of their patrol path and how long their back would be turned. From what you can gather, if things  _ were  _ to go awry (fingers crossed that it won’t) it will NOT be pretty. There were snipers stationed EVERYWHERE and all the guards had fully automatic weapons. You exhaled softly to yourself in mild annoyance laced with a hint of worry. If you didn’t get killed here, Hyunjin would most definitely kill you. Out of all the members, you probably had the girthiest medical file. Yours might overtake the rest of the Stray Kids members’ combined! It wasn’t necessarily your fault, as you’d like to make yourself believe, that you repeatedly gotten injured. After all, you’ve gone on three missions so far since you’ve been back and you’ve already been shot twice and almost sliced in half once. Needless to say, Hyunjin is NOT happy.

Suddenly a cold chill traveled down your back. Your crouched form shivered as goosebumps appeared on your skin, the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. You were being watched. Careful not to alert your stalker, you made no sudden movements. Your eyes closed as you exhale softly trying to calm your heartbeat. Straining your ears so all you could hear was your calm heart. You were not I.N, you couldn’t spot a subtle off detail. You couldn’t spot a hidden being, a person in a ghillie suit from afar at first glance like I.N could. You could however, focus your hearing and will it to be selective automatically drowning out the everyday sounds, the casual banter between guards, the breeze and the rustling of the leaves and bushes. Then you heard it, very slight and subtle: the grinding of gravel against a cement vertical surface, a sole pushing off said surface and the sound of the dislodged cement pieces falling to the ground in light patters and finally a small grunt. You gasp. He was close, too  _ close.  _ You drew your hidden knife from under the fabric of your wool (now stitched up by Chan) hoodie. Before you could whip around to react, immediately you were pinned by the stalker. The air knocked out of your lungs as your front collided with the ground harshly. Your knife slipped out of your grasp and bounced pathetically out of your reach. Your arm reached out for your self defense weapon, your fingers were  _ just  _ grazing the grip of your trusted blade. Your attacker grabbed a hold of your wrist and painfully twisted it behind your back. Your teeth clench to not give your assailant the satisfaction of your cries of weakness. Your attacker firmly grabbed the nape of your neck as your body instinctively turtled up in a dire attempt to protect the nape of your neck. You felt cool metal along your neck from their fingertips. The grip was tight with the balls of their fingers possibly leaving bruises as the tips extended further out to a sharp point. The pointed edge was pressed into your skin, but not firmly enough to pierce or exert any pressure directly from the fingertips.

_ Wait. _

Your eyebrows furrowed as your eyes widen in confusion.

“Sungie?” you whispered/yelled. 

“What are you doing here?” Jisung leaned forward, his front flush against your back, growling into your ears menacingly.

“I can ask you the same thing,” you snapped.

“Reconnaissance.”

“Following a lead.”

“Didn’t you get shot?  _ Again? _ ” Jisung spat disapprovingly. The tone of his voice suggested disappointment from you diving headstrong into another mission once more after getting injured from the previous one. Even the little shit was tired of your shit.

“I’ll shoot you if you don’t fucking  _ shut up _ ,” you emphasized the last few words threateningly. 

Jisung let out an animalistic growl as he tore his body away from yours. His hand was still harshly gripping your forearm behind your back. He lifted you up by your arm and tossed you into one of the crates knocking the air from you. You cursed at the squirrel recovering from the low blow he dealt as you watch him scale the building adjacent and disappearing behind the rooftop.

“Stupid squirrel,” you muttered to yourself. 

After quickly lifting yourself off the ground, you patted the dust off you and briefly grabbing a hold of your dark blade and sheathed it under your hoodie. You quickly looked around to see if anyone has noticed you. However, the patrols that once surrounded the crates were suddenly disposed of. In the corner of your eyes, you saw a flash of white travel in between buildings.

The angel of death has struck again, you mused. 

Turning your attention back to your task at hand before you were so rudely interrupted by the little shit, you ducked behind one of the wooden crates. You tsked figuring it was unlabeled and unmarked just like all the others. Unsheathing your knife once more, you force the black blade underneath the lid to pry it open. The worn wood moaned under the pressure as the rusted nails pop out one by one; eventually, the lid would be able to slide right off.

“What the fuck?” you whispered to yourself. Within the box were several sacks with an ominous black skull with crossbones on every one of them.

“Hyunjin?” you buzzed into voice comms. 

“How may I be of assistance?” his words were  _ too  _ polite, almost as if he was being sarcastic.

“I don’t know what I’m looking at,” you whispered as you cut open the sack with your knife, its contents spilling right out.

“Very enlightening,” now his voice was sarcastic, the radio static buzzed softly.

“It looks like green rocks that have some sort of luminous glow to them.”

“Shit,” Hyunjin cursed.

“Jinnie?”

“ _ Destroy them. _ ” 

“Wha-”

“Destroy them, don’t get it on your hands, don’t expose it to the air too much,” Hyunjin commanded.

“What are they?” you asked as you felt your heart drop down to your stomach fearing his answer. “How do I destroy it?”

“ _ Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers for, _ ” Hyunjin stated. “Fire, or any sort of explosion.”

Your eyes darted around your immediate area quickly spotting a couple of oil drums that is fittingly colored red including among the supplies. 

“Is there anything else?” Hyunjin asked. You can faintly hear the blowing of the wind from his end. You assumed he was mid flight. Or mid glide rather.

“I don’t know, there are a lot of crates here,” you informed, quickly opening another crate. Your head tilted upon sight of its contents. It seemed to be filled to the brim with several syringes-

“That’s fine. Just destroy them all. I’m on my way back to you,” Hyunjin buzzed off.

Nodding to yourself, you headed towards the oil drums determined to finish your mission. Disrupt the supply line, allow Stray Kids next target to reveal themselves. You jumped in shock, your heart skipping a beat as Jisung landed on the oil drum before you. The impact of his landing made the oil drum dent and flatten a third of the way down. Jisung then hopped off the drum, the metal barrel slumped over to the floor spilling its dark contents.

“Jesus, Sungie!” you started.

“People are coming,” Jisung warned. “They’re wondering what’s taking the delivery so long.”

Hyunjin buzzed into your radio, “They’re onto us.” His voice was strangely calm despite the danger looming. “Hurry up and get your ass out of there.”

“We need to go,” Jisung pressed. “ _ Now. _ ”

“We have to destroy these crates!” You informed. Jisung nodded quickly rolling an oil barrel to you. Quickly, you popped off the drainage cap on top and kicked the barrel, letting the oil spill as the barrel rolled. Jisung did the same sending it off to the other direction. In the distance, you can hear the marching of feet.

“I’m in position,” Hyunjin updated. You looked up seeing the shadow of Hyunjin on the ground before you. His wings spread as he slowed his descent onto a roof, his hand pulling out a pistol. You kicked over another barrel after popping off the cap. Jisung grabbed a hold of an oil drum, lifted up the barrel over his head and dousing the crates the dark liquid.

“They’re onto you,” Hyunjin informed sickenly calm. You gulped you can hear their thunderous steps looming every closer to you.

“Let’s go,” Jisung cocked his head towards Hyunjin as he threw the oil drum to the side. You nodded to the squirrel as you both bolted towards the building Hyunjin was stationed on as a vantage point. You quickly used your forward momentum to push yourself up the vertical wall. Your fingertips grabbed at the window sill and you pulled yourself up. Your feet used the lip of the windowsill as purchase to allow you to jump upward to grab at another windowsill to side step to the drainage pipe as you gripped the metal pipe to aid your ascent. Jisung gained more ground than you, his claws dug easily into the paint and plaster of the building as he quickly clawed his way up. As you both continued your climb, Hyunjin readied his rather small pistol. Small, oddly quaint-- the pistol could easily get lost within Hyunjin’s large hands. Seungmin in collaboration with Changbin had fashioned the pistol with size in mind due to Hyunjin absolutely cannot allow anything no matter how necessary interfere with his passive flight while maintaining the integrity of a rather powerful shot.

Aiming straight and true, Hyunjin pulled the trigger. The shot cracked through the air as the bullet went straight into a barrel. The red barrel erupted in a ball of flames as the flames flew everywhere setting everything on fire. The oil aided the spread and the intensity of the flames as slowly one by one the other barrel erupted in a fiery ball as well.

Shouts of angry men could be heard as they turned the corner enraged of their supplies being engulfed in flames. Hyunjin, Jisung and you watched from atop the rooftop standing straight and prideful of your victory. With two fingers and smirk, Hyunjin brought his fingers up to his forehead and brought it forward quickly and briefly prior to bring his arm fully down. Jisung, donning his porcelain squirrel mask stuck out his tongue as he flipped them off, his middle finger standing tall and true. You stood there with a prideful shit eating grin as you waved their fingers at them. You watched the men as they bickered and gestured to each other pointing to the three of you prior to retreating.

“Watch them run like rats,” Hyunjin stated with a smirk.

“Like candy from a baby,” Jisung added on.

“Mission accomplished,” Hyunjin smiled turning around to face you both. “Now we wait, the target will reveal himself in time.”

“Uhh, Hyunjin?” you called for his attention as you pointed to what you see.

Hyunjin turned to see the small handful of men become a small battalion. The men formed a firing line as they aimed towards you three.

“Five bucks they miss,” Jisung bet holding out a bill in front of Hyunjin.

“Don’t tempt me,  _ Han _ ,” the medic scowled.

Jisung laughed, his head thrown back dramatically as he let the bill slip from his fingers. The piece of parchment delicately falling down the side of the building. Jisung turned away to head to the opposite end of the building, Hyunjin’s wings expanded getting ready for his glide as well. Jisung grabbed at your wrist to pull you away from their line of sight. You both ran towards the opposite side to jump to the other building.

“Wait!” Hyunjin commanded. Several shots ran out through the air as Hyunjin ducked. The bullets whizzing by all around him as Hyunjin crouched unfazed.

“Are you crazy, Hwang?” Jisung scolded aghast, his mouth hanging open in shock. 

“Did you open a box of syringes?” Hyunjin turned his head towards you. Ducking his head once more as another barrage of bullets whizzed by his head.

“JESUS CHRIST, HWANG! GET DOWN!” Jisung rushed forward, grabbing the medic by his neck and pulling him down towards the surface of the rooftop. Jisung peeked over the edge seeing more and more enemies arrive quickly surrounding their building. “We need to go, now! What’s keeping you, Hwang?”

“Uhh-uhhm y-yes,” you stumbled over your words.

“Liquid?” Hyunjin pressed.

“Yes-”

“HWANG!” Jisung yelled.

“Was it blue?”

“Don’t you dare, Hwang,” Jisung threatened grabbing at his collar knowing what was Hyunjin’s intentions onto to be shoved aside by the much stronger medic.

“Yes-”

“I need to get it.” Hyunjin stated holding his stance.

“Are you fucking insane??!” Jisung grabbed a hold of Hyunjin’s shoulder and forcefully pulled him to face him. “Have you  _ seen  _ how many people are down there?”

“Jinnie-” you choked. The panic settled into yourself as you become increasingly more aware of how slim your ability of escape is becoming. Your mind was running wild unable to form a coherent thought as you watch the hustler and medic practically screaming at each other.

“We are  _ low  _ on supplies,” Hyunjin spat. “I wouldn’t have a need to go grab it if  ** _someone had taken the mission to restock on supplies***._ ** ”

“This is suicide!” Jisung roared back with equal intensity. Even though you couldn’t see Jisung’s eyes, you know both their eyes had murderous intent as rage fueled their argument. Your ears started ringing as you could hear more and more steps and bodies surround you. Several loud cracks rang through the air as the battalions fired, their bullets whizzing past the hustler’s and the medic’s heads.

You shrieked fearing for their lives as you grabbed ahold of their arms to pull them further towards the center of the roof only for them to unwittingly to shove you backwards as the two began grabbing at each other’s shoulders. If looks could kill, both of them would be brutally murdered corpses right now.

“Why do you NEED it?!” Jisung shook Hyunjin harshly by the collar to get the medic to listen to reason.

“Epinephrine in a saline solution. It stimulates heart rate and forces the body to produce adrenaline allowing the miniscule pellets acting as an instant coagulating agent to quickly seal deep internal AND external wounds starting from the inside out. It prevents you from bleeding out and dying on the spot!”

Jisung growled at the medic.

“It will  ** _save _ ** your life in a flight or fight situation.” Hyunjin growled back, venom dripping from his words.

“S-Stop it!” your voice broke through the tense atmosphere. Your heart was racing in your chest, the rapid heartbeat thundered deafeningly loud in your ears as more waves of shots erupted, the bullets whizzing by as you become even more hyper-aware of your situation.

The medic and hustler stared at you intently.

**[Voting Opportunity]**

You couldn’t see his full face, his upper half hidden behind a delicate porcelain squirrel back. His lips were parted as you see his teeth grinding together.

_ Han | Han Jisung :: Flee _

**OR**

The medic has an intense gaze on you. His lips were pursed tightly together as they curved downward in a pronounced frown. His brows were curved upwards in rage as you felt as if his eyes were boring into your soul.

_ Hwang Hyunjin :: Go for the syringes _

~

Now y’allsters see the opportunities in play. The side ops actually do have relevance to the main mission and can actually affect the main mission direction. Did any of y’allsters expect Jisung to help out? 

Note: These opportunities are  **NOT ** guaranteed every mission.

Secondly, remember when I said your votes will have consequences. Now your votes will have much deeper, and perhaps  _ deadly  _ consequences. Perhaps immediately or perhaps in the long run? The choice is yours. ;)

Remember, your decisions has consequences. Happy Voting!

**[Two Voting Opportunities] : ** Be sure to vote for both!


	23. Chapter 11

Ongoing Missions

Side Ops: Recon // Han | Han Jisung 

Mission Briefing

Location: Walled Settlement

Weather: Clear, Looming Sandstorm

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : Sunset

Mission Objective: Disrupt supply lines to expose the next target

Mission Partner: Hwang Hyunjin, Han | Han Jisung

You couldn’t see his full face, his upper half hidden behind a delicate porcelain squirrel mask. His lips were parted as you see his teeth grinding together.

<strike>_Han | Han Jisung :: Flee_</strike> **[Bearing Update***]**

**OR**

The medic has an intense gaze on you. His lips were pursed tightly together as they curved downward in a pronounced frown. His brows were curved upwards in rage as you felt as if his eyes were boring into your soul.

** _Hwang Hyunjin :: Go for the syringes_ **

“Go-go for the syringes,” you choked out, your voice softer than a whisper.

” _ What? _ ” Jisung growled. His tone was dripping with disbelief. ”You-”

Hyunjin cut him off by ripping himself out of the squirrel’s grip and adjusted his suit. Jisung snapped his head to glare at the medic. 

“I’m glad  _ someone  _ understands,” Hyunjin spat, bringing a hand up to gesture at you. 

“I can’t believe you both,” Jisung backed up with his head darting back and forth between you both.

“Sungie-” you tried to reach out to him.

“Save it!” Jisung spat, swatting away your reaching hand. Jisung’s shoulders rose and fell quite obviously as he looked at you both, shaking his head as his bottom lip quivered.

“I don’t understand why you need it,  _ Hwang, _ ” Jisung’s voice cracked at mentioning the medic’s name.  ** _“You could’ve just made the solution yourself***”_ **

Hyunjin didn’t answer. The medic still had a stern glaring gaze at the squirrel. You couldn’t bring yourself to say a word. Every word you wanted say latched themselves in your throat as you’re only able to open and close your mouth. Your heart froze over as a sinking feeling washed through your body.  _ Jisung was telling the truth. _

Jisung opened his mouth to let out a shaky exhale. “I’m not sticking around just to watch you die.” Jisung turned away to flee, a singular tear rolling down his cheek from under his porcelain mask. The squirrel sniffled as he ran off, pushing past you. You turned to watch him leave. You watched the squirrel jumped off the edge of the roof. You wanted to call out to him, but you were choking on your own sobs. You outstretched an arm towards his fleeting form as Hyunjin grabbed a hold of your arm and forcefully turned you to look at him.

“Leave him,” Hyunjin merely stated. His face remained stern as he was unfazed by the squirrel’s reaction. “We have a mission to finish.”

You gulped as you nodded in defeat. You brought up an arm to wipe away your falling tears. Hyunjin had a hardened gaze towards you, what he was feeling was unknown. You could never read him. He was always so stoic and stern, but mainly professional. He never allowed his emotions get in the way. You felt pathetic and small. Hyunjin towered over you enough as it is, but the fact that your emotions were taking over as Hyunjin looked down at you, literally and metaphorically made you feel hopeless. You tried to will the streams to stop as the many barrages of bullets come whizzing by both your heads. A gloved hand delicately came up to caress your cheek gently as you looked up to him. His fingers ghosted over the apples your cheeks as he delicately wipes away your tears. You gasped when you made direct eye contact with the medic. His usually dark eyes void of emotion were now glossy as you detect deep pain within his irises.

His hand left your cheek and delicately grasp your own, his thumb was rubbing small circles on the back of your hand. His other hand brought up his pistol as he wrapped your hand over the small weapon. 

“I’m going to go for the syringes,” Hyunjin whispered. “I need you to cover me.”

You pressed your lips together. Between the two of you, only Hyunjin had a gun. You only had your trusty black blade. Him giving you his weapon would leave the medic exposed and defenseless.

“Please,” Hyunjin interrupted your thoughts as you made eye contact with him. “You’re a better shot than I am.”

“I’m not Jeongin,” you breathed out.

“I don’t need you to be, I just need you to cover me.”

Your lip quivered a bit as you tore your gaze to look off to the side. Hyunjin brought two fingers to your chin prompting you to look directly at him.

“You’re letting your mind get intoxicated by thoughts that should’ve never come to fruition. You’re allowing yourself to be compared to the other boys and it’s self destructive. Instead of having faith in your own capabilities, you compare yourself to others who have perfected their specific craft leaving you to feel lesser and disregard your own achievements,” Hyunjin stated. 

You gasped as the truth hit you hard. 

“I believe in you,” Hyunjin breathed out. “Cover me.”

You sniffled one last time as you strengthen your resolve, sucking in your insecurities. You nodded at him grabbing his pistol securely. Your eyes filled with determination. You got into prone position as you crawled towards the edge overlooking the disrupted and destroyed supply run. You made sure to keep your head down to prevent it from being capped by the many barrages of bullets. Hyunjin was crouched beside you as he set down his gun magazines before you as he backed up. Hyunjin got into position. His hands were on the ground with one leg before the other on his knees. A look of determination washed through his features as he looked up. His wings expanded to full capacity. Nodding to himself with a grunt, he pushed forward on his toes as he ran full sprint off the edge. 

You let out a shaky exhale as you quickly took out the three guys directly under the building you were cooped out on. Three shots, three kills. These guys weren’t exactly well trained, they had poor recoil control and couldn’t hit a target moving at high velocities to save their life and in this moment of time, it really mattered.

You were better than them and thanks to Hyunjin, you  _ know  _ you can out shoot them despite the drastic effectiveness of weapons. The weapons are only as deadly as their wielder. As graceful as he could ever be, Hyunjin leapt off the edge with his arms outstretched. He then brought it closer to his body as he began to fall head first. His eyes were hooded as his wings collapsed in its closed position. Hyunjin can hear the rushing of the air and the bullets whizzing by him as he was barreling closer and closer to the ground. 

Hyunjin’s eyes snapped open as well as his wings as they caught the upward draft. Hyunjin immediately curved up into the air serpentining every bullet that came his way. All around him, he could see men dropping one by one. Hyunjin smirked to himself feeling prideful of your accomplishments. Even if he would never admit it directly to your face, Hyunjin was proud. His thoughts were interrupted as a searing pain went through his shoulder.

“HYUNJIN!” your voice called out in a panicked frenzy. Hyunjin peeped upward to see a flash of reflective light, a sniper. Due to the throbbing pain in his shoulder, he felt his muscles constrict and tense up as he lost control to one of his wings. Hyunjin began spiraling out of control as he began falling towards the ground. Hyunjin let out a cry of pain as one of his wings collided with a hard crate. The mechanical wing broke and shattered upon impact and the wing dislodged from his back. Hyunjin let out an ugly scream filled with excruciating pain the fine needles disconnected from his nerves, sending crippling shocks throughout his body. His eyes were screwed shut as he curled up into a ball. The bullet wound going clean through in his shoulder paled in comparison to the excruciating pain on his back.

A shadow loomed over Hyunjin as he forced an eye to crack open to the looming figure. Hyunjin forced a glare through clenched teeth. The man has a gruff look. His head was cleanly shaved with evidence of stubble showing. A delicate bandana was wrapped around his forehead with scars littering his face. He held Hyunjin at gunpoint as he glared towards the medic.

“You’re playing with fire, kid. What you’ve done here would do nothing more than cause a minor hindrance for the Desert Fox,” the man spat. 

Hyunjin exhaled, looking at him up and down. There it is, the name they were looking for. Hyunjin tried to get up to fight back, but the pain had him crippled.

“JISUNG!” you voice ripped out through the air. It seemed to echo and overpowered the sound of the gun fire.

“Say goodbye, kid,” the man lined up the shot to Hyunjin’s head as Hyunjin spat at the man’s foot.

Another shot rang out through the air. It was a heavy sounding shot, a unique sound that only belonged to Hyunjin’s custom gun. A bullet ripped straight through the man’s shoulder. He let out a scream of agony as the bullet tore through flesh and drilled through bone coming cleanly out the other side. Jisung rushed toward the man firing another round, bullet whiffing the man’s head. The bullet sliced cleanly through his cheek The man quickly recovered, reflexively taking a potshot towards the squirrel. 

Amidst the chaos, Hyunjin crawled towards the crate biting his cheek to push past the pain. His hand reached in from his laying down position; his fingers grazed on a syringe as he was desperately trying to grab at it. Hyunjin fell back down pathetically syringe at hand. Hyunjin panted as he popped off the protective casing as he mentally prepared himself for what was about to happen. With a firm grasp, Hyunjin held the syringe between two fists. Hyunjin let out a labored breath as he quickly plunged the needle directly in the center of his chest. Hyunjin let out a growl of agony as the burning pain traveled through his veins and arteries. Exhaling shakily, the syringe dropped off to the side.

Jisung grunted when the bullet went straight through his shoulder. Jisung turned to the side upon impact. As in in slow motion, the blood erupted from the wound. Then another, right through the other as Jisung gasped, his porcelain mask falling to the floor revealing his wide eyes. And finally in between the eyes. Jisung’s eyes crossed as he fell backwards limp. Jisung’s mouth gaped open as his final breath escaped his lips.

“NO!” your voice trembled and broke as your eyes widened in horror. “JISUNG!”

You fell to your knees as your heart broke and shattered. Your body shook at the sight. Tears were raining down your cheeks in waterfalls. 

“Tsk, stupid kid,” the man spat.

The man tried to turn to refocus his attention back to Hyunjin. However, Hyunjin was faster. Within the medic’s hand was a metal shard, a piece broken off his wing. Before the man could react, Hyunjin deeply embedded the shard into the man’s neck, screwing it back and forth as the flesh wrinkled and wrung as he forced it further in. The man gurgled and gulped as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His hand released his weapons as his arms went limp. Almost as fast as he inserted it, the medic yanked the shard straight out. The blood erupted out of the wound like a geyser as red covered everything.

Hyunjin grunted in pain as he fell to the floor, his hand shooting straight up to this shoulder wound. With a pained gasped, Hyunjin injected another syringe to the wound letting out a shaky pant.

“Hyunjin!” you tried to call out to him as the surrounding men began advancing towards the medic. He made no response as he’s still gasping and wheezing in pain. 

“Oh no,” you shot up wondering what you could do. There were no weapons where you were at. Jisung, who had a change of heart, came back and wrested the gun out of your hand before rushing down to aid the medic. The hustler and the medic didn’t have a smooth beginning: always butting heads, always raising their voices at each other and even physically fighting, but they’ve learned to tolerate each other. Jisung couldn’t let his squad mate die. Even though they had their differences, Hyunjin was still his  _ friend.  _ That’s why he came back.

You panicked, whispering a mantra of “No’s” to yourself pacing back and forth.

“What can I do? What can I do?” you whimpered seeing the men getting ever so closer to Hyunjin, but Hyunjin was currently incapacitated with no way to defend himself. One of his wings were in complete disrepair and is completely separated from his body, a trail of red coppery liquid trailing down his back. Your fingers latched onto the fabric of your hoodie as anxiety ran through your veins. You momentarily paused in confusion as your fingers grazed a smooth glass object within your pocket. You pulled it out raising it to view. It was a delicate glass container with separate compartments within it, several different reactants and reagents filled each compartment.

~

“Minho?” you whispered, opening his door slowly. Your knuckles knocked on the wood lightly as thin wispy smoke pooled at your ankles. You heard the loud hissing of gas releasing breaking through the heavy silence.

You gazed into the dark room, the only light that was on was Minho’s table lamp. The toxin expert was shirtless, but his upper body was heavily gauzed and bandaged. You could see the patches of red where he was shot. His brown hair was messy and sticking up in many directions, under his eyes were really dark baggy circles almost rivaling Chan’s. An oxygen mask was strapped to his face. Hyunjin enjoyed giving out cruel and unusual punishment to every Stray Kids member that get injured. Minho’s current punishment was that extremely uncomfortable oxygen mask. There was an elongated tube within that mask that extended deep into Minho’s mouth. Minho couldn’t speak or he would end up gagging and choking around the tube. 

Minho’s tired eyes met your form at the door. Minho awkwardly waves and motions for you to come in. You gulped and nodded softly, closing the door behind you. You slowly made your way towards him, each step made you felt more and more uneased. Minho almost died. He almost died  _ for  _ you. Even though he was heavily injured and needed to rest, he was still sat at his desk playing with the many powders and chemicals before him. Each one he combined contributed to the lingering smoke that was pooling at the ground. 

You awkwardly sat in the seat opposite of him. Your hands were folded neatly in your lap as your thumbs twiddled together. Minho as if he could sense your discourse reached forward and gently squeezed your forearm prompting you to look at him as his hand trailed down your arm to gently grasp your hand, squeezing it lightly in reassurance.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered out. Your voice was broken and weak. Minho looked at you intently. “It’s all my fault. It’s my fault you almost died, if only I got to you sooner.”

Minho shook his head as he squeezed your hand softly once more.

“But-” Minho squeezed your hand once more, this time glaring at you.

“YAH! IT’S TIME TO GO!” Hyunjin called out, banging on Minho’s door. 

You solemnly looked at the door promptly before turning towards Minho. 

“I-” your voice cracked. Minho stood from his spot and made his way towards you embracing you tightly, his chin resting delicately on your shoulder. 

“Minho?” you breathed out. Minho delicately caressed your cheek, bringing his forehead to yours and nuzzling it softly. He brought your hand to his cheek and nuzzled it gently as his eyes gazed at you fondly. Minho turned away and grabbed a glass bottle from his desk and held it within your hand.

~ _ You decided to talk to Lee Know | Lee Minho. Your relationship status increased. _ ~

~ **[Bearing Update: Opportunity gained]** ~

~

“HYUNJIN!” you called out to the medic. “Get out of there!”

You jumped off the roof, your fingertips latched upon one of the windowsills on the way down. Using each windowsill to break your fall as you descended the tall building, you toss the glass bottle at Hyunjin’s feet. The glass shattered as the reactants agitated and reacted with each other. Quickly a thick gray smoke enveloped Hyunjin and the surrounding area as you leaped into the smoke, landing on the ground with a grunt. 

The men who tried to rush in towards you and Hyunjin immediately doubled over as they hacked and wheezed trying to expel the thick smoke from their lungs. You and Hyunjin emerged from the smoke, a crate of syringes in Hyunjin’s hands. You both turned back towards the thick smoke with a heart-rending agonizing gaze as your face soured to weeps and wails. Hyunjin’s eyes were filled with pain as he gestured at you to keep going. Nodding your head solemnly, you turned and ran. Both you and Hyunjin disappeared within the incoming sand storm.

**Mission Success.**

**[Bearing Update: Syringes Acquired]**

**[Bearing Update: Han | Han Jisung Status - Killed in Action]**

  
  


**New Side Ops Mission Available**

**Side Ops 1: ** Recover Jisung’s personal effects.

Which Stray Kids Member do you want to send on this mission?

    * Kim Woojin (Light Injury)
    * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan 
    * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavily injured// Will not be available until **1 **members have gone)
    * Seo Changbin
    * Hwang Hyunjin (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
    * Han | Han Jisung **[Status: Deceased]**
    * Lee Felix 
    * Kim Seungmin (Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
    * I.N | Yang Jeongin
    * None

  
  
  



	24. Chapter 11.5 Woojin Special Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Never say goodbye. If you don't say goodbye, then you're not really gone, you just, aren't here right now."  
-Agent Carolina, RvB, Roosterteeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 12 is still delayed until further notice.
> 
> I only wrote this to cope with Woojin's sudden departure.
> 
> There is a voting at the end regarding Woojin's character so please leave your vote?

It was a chilly day. The cool autumn breeze swept the locale. Brilliant hues of red, orange and yellow danced along to the songs of the birds and fluttered with the breeze. The sun shone its rays over the locale, illuminating patches of land in brilliant circles as the sun pierces through the clouds.

You let out a chilly exhale, your breath condensing within the cool air as you let out a puff of condensation. You faintly hear the leaves crunching behind you and settling beside you. The figure stood beside you also gazing upwards towards the rays of lights piercing through the clouds. He stood beside you, not saying a word. You were centimeters apart, your arms were just out of reach of brushing against each other. You both visibly flinched yearning for each other's warmth and the comfort of contact. Still no efforts was made. No conversation ignited. Just two figures relishing within close proximity of each other.

Your heart was slowly beating as if it's a metronome as your stomach did flips within you. You choke up feeling your throat clench and release as you attempt to swallow your lumps. Lumps of words that wish to be said but refused to be released.

"Bear?" you whispered out, your voice broken, weak and breathless. 

The man turned his head to gaze at your trembling form. His face was stern but his eyes revealed everything. Eyes glossy and filled with so much emotion and regret. You couldn't bring yourself to look at him. You couldn't bring yourself to gaze upon the beautiful man named Kim Woojin. You couldn't bring yourself to see his sun kissed skin, bright and illuminated with the sun ray's, his hair as brilliant and orange as his surroundings.

"Cub?" his soft voice caused your overflowing dam to crumble and shower. His voice was laced with as much pain as you were feeling as well as concern for your lack of response.

Your body trembled as you tried to will away the tears that welled in your eyes. Your eyes were wide as saucers as you looked up blinking rapidly letting the cool breeze dry your wet glossy eyes.

"It's cold," your words didn't convince anymore. Not Woojin, not even yourself. Your trembling figure and the whirlwind of emotions within you made it obvious what your true emotions are. Without another word, Woojin slid behind you and enveloped your smaller frame within his larger one, your back was flush with his chest. You sighed in content feeling his warmth spread throughout your body.

A cool autumn day is beautiful. The temperature is always just right for hoodies and blanket cuddles. A yearning warmth that completes the aesthetic and atmosphere. Woojin was your warmth, your bear, your everything. He completed your autumn. You preferred his hoodies to the other members due to him wearing the largest size.

"I already miss you, bear," you whispered out still looking up towards the falling leaves. Brilliant yellows, reds and oranges showered around you both.

"I'll always be with you," Woojin whispered. "I'll never be too far away."

"Why do you have to go?"

"It isn't my place to say. I don't wish to see you bear the brunt of my problems."

"Just come find us, Woojin," you sniffled.

"I'm sorry, but it was a difficult choice," Woojin whispered into the crown of your head as his eyes screwed shut in pain willing away the drops that were edging to fall. Woojin tightened his hold on you as he pulled you impossibly closer into his embrace. "I don't mean to hurt you… or the boys, but I need time to myself."

You stiffened up, feeling every regret wash within you. You weren't going to be able to nag Woojin about his mentality of a rich kid anymore. You wouldn't be able to feel homeless wearing your rags next to his fine leather and expensive accessories. You wouldn't be able to sit together eating ice cream complaining about how loud Jisung is or how Minho keeps smoking us out. You wouldn't be able to feel the warmth that was uniquely Kim Woojin anymore.

"Bear?" you whispered, broken.

"Yes, cub?" he replied as weak and broken as you.

"It's raining…" you trailed off as your lips pressed together.

Woojin blinked his tears away and looked back towards the sunny and cloudy skin. 

"No… it's not…" Woojin whispered looking back at you. You were trembling again as you looked up towards the sky with your eyes shut. Woojin looked directly at your face. Your lips were pressed together and quivering as tears escaped your shut eyes in waterfalls as you finally let the walls of your dam collapse.

"Yes… it is," you sniffled, cracking both eyes open to meet his watery eyes.

"I see, you are correct," Woojin smiled as his defenses crumble as well. His tears finally coming out and raining down on your cheeks.

"Are you going to come back, bear?" you whispered.

"I… I don't know," he whispered.

"So, is this goodbye?" you sniffled trying to catch your running snot. You voice was shaky and weak as you still tried to place structure and support behind it.

"Never say goodbye. If you don't say goodbye, then you're not really gone, you just...aren't here right now," Woojin smiled.

Your eyes clench as your head slumped downward. Your body shook as you were wracked by sobs. Woojin attempted to bring comfort by holding you closer and rubbing small circles on your shoulders. You willed yourself to look back up to Woojin, with his leaning backwards in response to get a better look at you.

"See you later, bear?" you choked out attempting to plaster a genuine smile on your face. You stood on your tip toes as you leaned your head every so slightly more backwards to plant a small kiss to the corner of his lips.

Woojin returned back a pained genuine smile.

"See you later, cub."

Voting Opportunity:   
It's been a hard day for Stays with the sudden news of Woojin's departure. I am utterly devasted, but Stray Kids will always be Nine in my heart. I love you, my bear. I wish you well.

Do you wish to still see Woojin in Operation Miroh?  
Yes or No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you want to talk, rant, vent or cope please feel free to reach out. I'm here to listen. Even if I'm not the greatest with words, I'll listen to every single word and emotion you pour out without judgement.
> 
> I love you all, take care of yourselves. Be strong for Woojin, be strong for SKZ.
> 
> Nine or None, we're going to cross the finish line.
> 
> Instagram / Twitter: @lucario55076  
Tumblr: @stanskzseungmin  
Discord: Lucario55075#7989


	25. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long, I was originally going to take a one week hiatus, but it became two because of life issues then three because of back to back midterms and essays and projects. X_X Hopefully the length makes up for it.
> 
> This chapter will introduce a main villain. I recommend nitpicking this chapter as much as you can to get the finer details.
> 
> 3 voting opportunities at the end.
> 
> Also not proofread very well because it's late and I'm tired.

Ongoing Missions

Side Ops 1: Recover Han | Han Jisung's personal effects // I.N | Yang Jeongin 

Mission Briefing

Location: Unknown Settlement

Weather: Rainy

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : 0145

Mission Objective: Undercover gun deal to uncover info about the "Desert Fox"

Mission Partners: Seo Changbin, Lee Felix

  
  


_ Jisung, if you were here, what would you do? _

Your mission report shook everybody. The entire base fell silent to the point where a pin could be heard dropping. Changbin and Felix were loitering in the lounge when a wounded Hyunjin and a sobbing you burst through the door. Finally at home in safety, the adrenaline ran out. Your lungs were burning and your legs felt as if it was pierced with several knives and needles. Despite your physical ailments, the pain did not come to par with the pain lingering in your heart.

You knew the adrenaline had subsided for Hyunjin as well. The wooden crate of syringes slipped out of his hands, dropping on the ground with a loud thud. It bounced a bit from landing on its edge, tipping over and finally stilling to a stop as the syringes cascaded out. Hyunjin slumped forward as darkness overtook his body as he dropped to the floor with a loud thud exposing his torn and tattered, bleeding back void of a wing and a damaged second one. 

Upon seeing both your physical and mental state, Changbin and Felix rushed over. One pulling you into his arms and the other placing a hand delicately on Hyunjin’s shoulder trying to shake him awake. 

“Jisung… Jisung,” you gasped out, choking on your sobs as tears kept flowing.

With wide eyes as the understanding finally settled in, Changbin bellowed out.

“Hyung! Chan hyung!”

Felix’s head snapped up and joined in. “HYUNG!”

A set of loud thunderous footsteps echoed throughout the walls as a very worried Seungmin burst through the door. Seungmin’s eyes widen at the sight of you and Hyunjin. Your trembling form caused a wave of pain to erupt within him. Seungmin rushed forward, shoving Changbin and Felix aside, and delicately cupped your cheeks in his hands as he delicately brushed your tears away. 

“Dummy?” Seungmin whispered. “Dummy, what happened?”

You couldn’t respond as you were still choking on your sobs.

Another pair of footsteps came your way as a very panicked, sleep deprived Chan stumbled into the room. Judging by your pitiful states, Chan immediately knew what was the outcome of the mission.

_ Jisungie, would you forgive us for moving on? _

From then on, the base was in unrest. Chan quickly retreated back to his office to gather as much intel on the Desert Fox. Jeongin immediately departed onto his side ops mission without saying a single word, without sparing a single glance as he grapple hooked his way out of the front entrance. Seungmin looked at you a final time with an unreadable expression as he hoisted the unconscious medic onto his shoulders and jogged off. Changbin quickly followed after gathering the scattered syringes and Felix running over to you and pulling you into his arms.

_ It isn’t that we don’t care, you understand that, right? _

“Y/N, Changbin, Felix,” Chan called out after the three of you have been summoned to his office. “Talk in District 9 has stated Desert Fox by name. Last known location… about a few clicks north of District 9.”

The three of you listened intently as Chan continued tapping away at his laptop. His laptop is now connected to his larger monitor as you three try to focus on the various pop ups of texts, maps, geographic readings, etc. It was a miracle how Chan is managing to condense and process this mass of information in such a compact amount of time despite his handicap of sleep deprivation. 

“The latest geographic screening and surveillance from…  _ Han’s… ,”  _ Chan hesitated. His voice cracked and dropped slightly at the mention of the fallen’s name, but he had to continue on.  _ _ “-survey beacon from his reconnaissance mission showed that was some strange activity located within the mountain. Recently, there has been an influx of incoming shipment of cargo.”

“Weapons transport?” Changbin inquired.

Chan nodded. “Most likely linked to the supply run Y/N and Hyunjin disrupted. Changbin, if this is a weapons deal, I need you to go undercover and infiltrate the run.”

Changbin nodded in understanding as he quickly bolted out not prior to Chan tossing him a radio earpiece. Changbin easily caught the small black box and inner ear piece behind his back as he slipped past Chan’s door. 

“Felix, if the Desert Fox is indeed there, you have full authority to kill on sight,” Felix nodded, walking forward, grabbing a hold of a black box and earpiece as well as headed out the open door.

“And what about me?” you whispered.

_ It’s that… we have no time to mourn. _

Chan paused momentarily, letting his shoulders drop as he let out a shaky exhale. Chan was weighing his options, what  _ could  _ you do? Not that he had a lack of faith in you, but there were too many variables to consider. There were too many jobs, too many dangers and only one of you. Chan slumped into his hand resting on his desk. His eyes darted around back and forth taking in the rapidly incoming information and live updates pinging Jeongin’s exact location while simultaneously playing different scenarios in his head and deciding what would be the most beneficial but with the least opportunity cost.

“Channie?” your voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“I.N has been sent to briefly scope out the place, you will meet up with him for the rest of the briefing,” Chan stated.

“Chan-”

“Find out about the Desert Fox, gather as much information as you can,” Chan interrupted with a low voice. Chan rubbed at his tired dry eyes as he ran a hand through his bleached locks.

You frowned as the stinging pain washed over you again.

“ _ Chan, _ ” your voice cracked, understanding the underlying intentions of your mission objective.

“Dismissed, Y/N.”

You were  ** _replacing_ ** Jisung.

You then met up with Changbin and Felix in one of Stray Kids’ supply warehouses. It was a bit on the smaller side compared to the massive warehouse solely for chemicals, metals, medicine, etc, including all of Hyunjin’s medicinal and lethal experiments, Minho’s endless supplies of empty and filled glass bottles of his outdated experiments as well as Seungmin’s massive gunpowder collection and recently fertilizer and cement (unfortunately, Seungmin has caught Hyunjin’s contagious disease of laziness opting with an easy explosive with the latter two resources rather than an intricate concoction of chemicals and oxides.)

The smaller warehouse the three were currently in had weapons galore dating back to Changbin and Jeongin’s illegal black market dealings when they all were within the accursed walls. There were rows and rows of wooden crates stacked upon each other. Atop of each crate was a small and simple weapon stand that displayed a gun indicating what was in the crates that the display was sitting on. A wall was dedicated to display several bladed and blunt weapons and several harnesses and slings, many of them are customized to fit the member’s needs. For example, Felix’s harnesses have overkilled with many loops and slits to carry as much ordnance and weapons he possibly can, Minho’s have more regular and adjustable loops to strap on his gaseous concoctions and reactant reagents, Chan’s harnesses have special metal hooks and straps just so he can have his laptop on his body at all times whether it be flush against his chest or on the small of his back, etc etc. You get the idea. Another wall was dedicated to Seungmin’s and Jeongin’s (mostly Seungmin’s) joint efforts in customized and personally built weapons. You cringed awkwardly spotting your god awful pistol and customized suppressor on display. Finally there was a vast lot of empty space set aside in the far corner just for Hyunjin and Seungmin to dump their failed engineering experiments. You still don’t know why we kept all of Hyunjin’s and Seungmin’s prototypes for Hyunjin’s mechanical wings and your eyes narrowed in confusion when you spotted Chan’s corpse of a laptop on the floor along with the wings.  _ Strange… Chan usually repairs his laptop rather than replacing them… _

Felix was checking the chamber of his pistol to make sure it’s loaded as you walked up to him. Felix noticed your presence and proceeded to holster his pistol somewhere under his white sweater behind his back. Felix wore somewhat… revealing clothing. He shed his normally black attire for a white loose fitting sweater. It was cut down to size thus exposing a bit of his toned torso and with the waistband of his boxers barely peeking over his dark jeans. In his exposed skin, you saw slight elements of a leather harness hidden under his oversized sweater. You can probably imagine what’s attached to the harness: knives, small hand held pistols, possibly some ordnance and most definitely gun magazines. You never truly know, but he’s always well geared up and he’s always manage to hide so many weapons and supplies all over his body. 

Changbin, however, was more modest. He wore a simple white tee with a black vest thrown over it along with black jeans with several aesthetic tears and slashes. He was currently crouched in front of two empty crates back facing you as he added hay as padding for the many weapons he was about to bring. You shook your head lightly at the sight of his black battery pack for his earpiece stuffed into his waistband rather than his back pocket assuming he was too much in a rush and had difficulties sliding it into the pocket and thus, opted for his waistband. You walked forward and slid your palm along the curve of his bottom into his pocket to create space eliciting a loud surprised, totally manly yelp of sorts from him and slid the battery pack into the pocket.

“Is that all you’re bringing?” you gestured at the two crates.

“Customized,” Changbin grumbled, patting down the hay and adding in another customized weapon. “All the more to incentivise.” 

“Are you sure about that?” you inquired, fully knowing Seungmin’s customized weapons were exceptionally made and highly effective and deadly.

“Relax, little one. The guns are faulty anyway. I made sure of it,” Changbin stated, getting up to face you. “It’s the gunpowder that can’t be faked.”

Changbin made a small head movement to Felix and he nodded in understanding, waltzing off to the neighboring warehouse for a crate of Seungmin’s gunpowders. Changbin walked towards you a bit and clasped his hands on your shoulders and looking deep into your eyes.

“Are you going to be ok?” Changbin’s voice was soft.

You nodded hesitantly. 

_ But is Jisung going to be ok? Being replaced…? _

“Jeongin,” Changbin greeted. 

“You’re late,” Jeongin stated sternly with a straight face with his lips curved slightly upward in a small smile. He stood from his previous crouched position. He had a dark scarf wrapped around his head in lieu of a hood. His red fringes brushed against his lashes as the breeze went by. Jeongin wore a simple black tight shirt that was wayyyy too short exposing his toned and lean midriff. His black jeans were also a bit short, his cuffs barely extended past his knee exposing his pale calfs down to regular combat boots. Within his hands was an extremely large and hefty custom .20 millimeter sniper rifle that was forged and assembled by Seungmin. 

“That’s no way for you to talk to your hyungs,” Felix chuckled.

Jeongin responded with a sarcastic and forced smile. 

“Apologies, but I have my own mission directive,” his tone was dripping with false and forced politeness. 

“Innie,” your voice was stern, but sent the message across just fine.

“Beyond that rock formation,” Jeongin gestured with his finger. “-is cave entrance. Within that cave is a hidden underground settlement.”

“Civilians?” you inquired. 

“Many. I believe it’s a front. It’s a pretty well established settlement.”

“A well hidden location for a well hidden underground dealings,” Changbin muttered. 

“With civilians as a cover,” you finished. Jeongin nodded.

“There is no natural light, only torch light. The area is mainly clear of guards with the exception of the far back of the cave. The guards you may pass in the walkways are more than likely to be off duty and is unlikely to actually be doing their job, so they won’t be much of a worry,” Jeongin continued, turning to face you. 

“Thank you,” he nodded as he grappled away and disappeared behind the cliff.

“I’ll wait here with the crates,” Changbin stated. “Y/N, go in and locate the weapons dealings and gather information. Felix, go in after and dispatch the off duty guards.”

You and Felix both nodded as you both turned away and climb up the rock formation. Lo and behold, the cave entrance Jeongin spoke of. You were awestruck at the marvelous sight. It was a marvelous sight indeed Felix agreed with his equally awestruck expression. It was a vast underground cave with a center stone structure that was lit ablaze at the top. The flames lit up the settlement in a calming warm yellow and orange light. It appears to be many well constructed buildings made of mud and clay but the integrity is impeccable. While the other villages and the walled cities had an atmosphere of looming danger and impending doom, this one has a calm, peaceful lighthearted atmosphere. Almost like “paradise,” but without the sheer number of armed guards.

“Paradise?” Felix turned to you.

“Too soon,” you mumbled, shoving Felix causing him to stumble over the edge and land on his feet at the bottom with a soft thud.

“Thanks,” Felix stated sarcastically as he quickly went to work disappearing into the darkness of the unlit or poorly lit areas.

You quickly follow and jump off the edge as well, landing with a small grunt. you reach down to grab a discarded piece of fabric and dusting it off. You wrapped it around your face and pulled up your hood making your way in. 

“I have overwatch,” Changbin’s voice buzzed over intercoms, a faint clicking and sliding could be heard in the background.

“I have line of sight,” Felix confirmed. “Got you covered.”

You continue making your way deeper into the settlement, walking with your head high. Whispers erupted all around you as the people looked you up and down. You were obviously an outsider with your hoodie and jeans in comparison to the people’s functional rags.

“Hey!” a guard off duty noticed you. His head slung back as red erupted from contact.

“Got you covered,” Changbin buzzed in, Felix popping out of the shadows to dispose of the body. 

“Alley to the left,” Felix buzzed in. You followed his orders walking into it seeing a man positioned there. “Get his attention.”

You continued walking forward. “Hey! You can’t be her-” Felix busted out from the doorway of the building, stabbing the guard in the neck and pulling him in closing the door behind him.

“Keep going,‘ Felix ordered.

“Lost line of sight,” Changbin buzzed in. “You’re on your own.”

“I got you,” Felix reassured.

You made your way into the building to see a man having a smoke. You smirked to yourself as you continued walking and purposefully bumping shoulders into him.

“Huh? Ah-” Felix rushed in and kneeing him in the back. The guard was sent into the wall as Felix stabbed his blade directly center of his neck. You walked out of the door to witness a fight gathering. It seems both civilian and guards were attracted. You could see snippets of two bloodied people pitted against each other.

“A fight club?” you whispered. 

“Don’t think so,” Felix said. “More like dog fights but with people.”

“How awful,” you muttered.

“Stay focused,” Changbin reminded.

“Felix, what are you doing?” you hissed at the Aussie who emerged from the shadows walking towards the fight.

“Joining the fight,” he muttered, pulling out his earpiece and battery pack and hiding it in shadows.

“FELIX!” you hissed.

“Leave him,” Changbin interrupted. “This is an undercover mission. Felix can fight his way to the top and get information. You should get info as well.”

“Alright.”

“Head to the main road, so I can watch your back,” Changbin instructed. Doing as he’s told, you snuck past the fight and head back to the main road. You walked in a brisk pace towards the center stone pillar. 

“I can’t see past that pillar,” Changbin buzzed in. “Can you get up the pillar and see what’s on the other side?”

You obeyed his command silently. Your fingers grasped at all the cracks and protruding rocks as your toes find purchase of the rough surface. You managed to climb up to the weak wooden walkway, but thankfully, you were light enough for the wood to support your weight.

“Report.”

“Just as Innie said, the back looks heavily sheltered off and guarded,” as you were watching over the guard patrols, you noticed a small gate in the back corner with two men trying to pass crates to each other.

“Careful!” one scolded when the other dropped the crate. The lid popped open as the contents came spilling out, revealing a couple of knives and grenades.

“Binnie, I may have found the weapons supply lines. 2 o’clock far corner.”

“Understood. You’re fine on your own right?”

“Of course.”

“Alright, Changbin out,” Changbin buzzed off.

Your back slumped against the stone structure as you felt the loneliness and grief kick in.

_ I’m sorry, Jisung. This is supposed to be a time of mourning, but it is a luxury we can’t have. _

“Oh shit,” you hear a small voice under you. You were snapped out of your thoughts when a woman spotted you and began bolting. You tilted your head to the side as you pursued, jumping down from your elevated position and landing straight on a mud protective railing on a rooftop. As the woman kept running in and out of the alleys, you jumped from roof to roof keeping her within line of sight.

“Why are you following me?” she called out.

“Why are you running?” you responded, trying to catch your breath.

“Ok, hold up,” you retorted, jumping off and landing directly in front of her. You winced at the sharp stinging pain shooting up your legs. You never understood how Jisu-  _ Jisung. _

_ “Jisung,” you whined. “How do you always manage to land on your feet without destroying your legs?” _

_ “That’s because I bend my knees, stupid,” the squirrel chuckled, flicking your forehead. _

You shook your head preventing your wandering thoughts.

“You’re here to kill me, aren't you?” the woman whispered backing up at bit.

“What gave you that impression?”

“Your clothes,” she pointed out. “You’re not one of us. The Desert Fox sent you, didn’t he?”

Your eyes widen in bewilderment. “The Desert Fox sent...me? You’re not one of Desert Fox’s?”

“No. Never. Not anymore,” she whispered. “I see we have a common enemy?”

“It appears so…” you whispered, eyeing her up and down as she did the same to you as you circled each other. “Let me guess, this settlement is your hideout?”

“Yes, to hide away from the prying eyes of the Desert Fox.”

“You mentioned ‘not anymore,’ you used to work for him?”

“Yes, but I have never met the man. He would send codes with instructions.”

“Supply runs…?” you tried to insinuate the weapons dealing happening right this moment.

“Disruption mainly. The one we have now is for our own personal use.”

“Freedom fighter?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “The Desert Fox is a cruel miserable man with complete disregard for human life. He does not fight for a cause. He fights for death count.”

"Are you going to kill him?" She spoke up after a lengthy pause.

Jisung's smiling face came before you in a vision.

"Yes. He's the reason for the death of someone dear to me."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. You nodded solemnly as your gaze fell upon a familiar brown sack with a skull mark hanging off the woman’s waist.

~

Felix panted as he bounced on the balls of his feet, swapping stances. Screams and cheers erupted all around him. The woman he was fighting against spat at his feet. She rushed forward attempting to throw a punch with Felix quickly jerked his head back. 

"Who's this guy?" Felix's ear picked up. 

"Don't recognize him," another continued.

The woman rushed him with a flurry of attacks, Felix kept his eyes glued to her fists as he dodged every attack with grace and poise. The woman changed her stance, spinning on the ball of her foot. She was preparing for a heavy punch, Felix easily saw through it. He immediately ducked, her fist barely grazed the top of his head as her forward momentum brought her closer to Felix. Felix easily bounced back up headbutting the woman's nose. Her head few back as her hands flew to her face trying to stop the red spew. She bowed down, backing up and waving her bloody hand signalling "no more"

"Dancing like the devil is he?" a guard in the crowd, mumbled. Felix couldn't pick up any other of his murmurs, but his ears most definitely picked up a soft 'Desert Fox.' "It looks like we have our best man here!"

The guard walked up to Felix with an outstretched hand to pat his shoulder, only for Felix to shrug his hand away. The guard chuckled pointing at him.

"Is there anyone willing to take on this current reigning champion?!" The crowd cheered around him as Felix warily eyed the man. "Remember to keep it a fair fight and no weapons allowed!" 

The guard chuckled walking back into the crowd. Five other guards emerged from the crowd, each equipped with a bladed weapon. Felix's shoulders slumped as he stood up straight and tilted his head with a disapproving gaze.

"What are you going to do now, pretty boy?" the guard in the center snickered.

Felix sighed, tilting his head the other direction menacingly. "I'm going to be beat a cheat."

~

Changbin dropped both crates to the group with an exasperated sigh as he stood up rolling his shoulder to loosen the knots forming there.

“Hey kid,” the man leading the weapons deal called out. “Aren’t you a little young for this?”

“Gotta do what I got to survive,” Changbin put up a plastic smile and played along with the youthful looking man. The man had dark locks that was tied back with a rag. His clothes were loose and in tatters making him look homeless in comparison to Changbin’s clean clothes.

“Right on man,” the man smiled. “Let me see what you have to offer.” The man jumped off the crate he was sitting on and walked towards Changbin with a knife. Changbin eyed the blade waringly as his hand reached for his concealed pistol under his shirt in self defense. The man merely crouched in front of Changbin’s crate and pried open the wood with the blade. Changbin relaxed slightly, but he kept his hand on the grip of his gun.

“We don’t have the most advanced of weapons but we make do with what we have. We have molotovs, trip wires and semtex and a couple of automatic weapons,” the man informed pulling out the hay from the crate. “What are you hoping to get?”

“Information,” Changbin responded bluntly. The man paused to look at Changbin.

“I don’t know what you mean? We’re just people who are trying to survive-” the man’s breath hitched upon sight of the weapons in the box.

“What is it?” Changbin asked. 

The man looked up to Changbin with wide eyes as he backed up to his buddy and whispered to him. Both men eyed Changbin up and down. An uneasy feeling bubbled within Changbin as he got into a defensive stance. Instantly, the two men grabbed two guns from their crate and pointed the weapon at Changbin. Changbin gasped and backed up, throwing up his hands. 

“D-don’t shoot,” Changbin sputtered trying to keep up his act. Changbin smiled awkwardly and chuckled. “Please, I just need to-”

“I know why you’re here,” the man growled, voice dripping with venom. “Leave or I’ll shoot!”

“But-” Changbin interjected.

“I say we shoot him.”

Changbin glared at the man as he noticed him very quickly getting surrounded. Both guards and other men and women started appearing from the shadows, each equipped with a weapon pointed directly at Changbin.

Too many. Changbin thought to himself. He could hold his own, but not with this many and not without cover. 

“Shit,” Changbin cursed. With reflexes almost quicker than the eye, Changbin kicked over his crate: the weapons, hay and several metal canisters tumbled out. Using foot and friction against the dirt floor, he dragged the pin out of the canister and kicked it towards the two men in front of him. The quickly opened fire but Changbin was quicker and dove to safety behind other wooden crates. The metal canister finally went off after what felt like an eternity. The immediate area was engulfed in a bright white light and Changbin easily disappeared within the chaos.

“Get him! Kill him before he gets to Desert Fox!”

~

Your heart was pounding in your ears. You were panting heavily as you ran down the street. The people were grumbling and gasping at your sprinting form. Many jumped out of your way. Some expressed outrage towards your lack of respect.

“S-sorry!” you quickly apologized bowing your head quickly as you ran into the alley.

You could hear distant cheers and the distinct sound of fleshy impacts and bone crushing blows. You turned the corner and slid to a stop, the soles of your feet grinded across the ground.

“F-felix!” you gasped out. 

The blond Aussie was engrossed into his fight. A guard went to stab him, but Felix easily jumped back, narrowly dodging the blade. Felix grabbed the guard’s wrist and pulled him forward connecting his knee to his face. Another guard tried to do a top down swipe; Felix sidestepped, the blade pathetically whiffing past the Aussie as his fist connected with the man’s jaw in an uppercut. A third tried to take advantage of Felix’s turned back, but Felix threw back his elbow connecting to his face, the nose collapsed and broke with a loud crunch. 

“FELIX!” you called out his name, Felix quickly snapped his head towards you with wide eyes. “We got a problem!”

“That fighting style. That movement. I’ve seen it before,” the supposed ringmaster guard whispered out.

Felix pushed past the remaining two guards, ignoring the booing crowd and not caring that he’s forfeiting the fight as he briskly jogged to you.

“Get them!” Felix and you snapped towards them. “Kill them both! They’re Desert Fox’s!”

The guards all unsheathed their blades and readied their guns. The crowd scattered in loud screams of terror upon hearing the Desert Fox’s name, the name of the monster they’re hiding from. The crowd quickly dispersed each screaming the Desert Fox’s name. 

“Felix,” you whimpered, grabbing at his white sleeve. “We need to go.”

“Yeah,” Felix agreed, grabbing your forearms and pulling you in the opposite direction.

“Kill them! Don’t let them get back to Desert Fox! Do whatever it takes to stop them.”

“We need to get to Changbin!” Felix called out, sprinting in and out of buildings. The building’s inhabitants yelped in shock from the two intruders. Felix easily vaulted over a random woman’s kitchen counter as he hopped out the open window and you barreled out the door. You both stilled to a stop as a sprinting Changbin passing by you. Changbin scrambled to a stop as he realized who he passed. 

“We got a problem!” you three shouted simultaneously. “They think we’re Desert Fox!”

A loud explosion rang in the background. The cave walls shook as unsettled dust dislodged from the ceiling. The hanging stalactites shook, threatening to fall. The entire settlement was in unrest. Screams of the people echoed within the cave. More and more explosions rang out and the hanging rocks began falling and collapsing onto the buildings.

“Guys,” Felix pointed out sticking a finger in the direction of the back of the cave. You and Changbin turned towards the back where there were black smoke emitting from the various explosions, but there was a problem. There was also a mist like gas that was a discerning mustard yellow/algae green color. 

You recognized what it was. “We need to go! NOW!” The three of you started to sprint towards the cave entrance along with the fleeing crowd. It was what Hyunjin was afraid of: the sacks of strange green crystals from the supply run, the exact same sack the woman had. Several similar sacks were thrown into the escaping crowd as the contents of each sack were agitated and erupted in the similar mist.

“Don’t breathe that in! It’s poison!” you warned, pulling up your makeshift hood onto your nose and mouth.

“They’re gassing the entire place just to kill us?” Changbin called out into the crook of his arm, coughing every other word.

One by one, the people fall to the ground. So many voices would no longer made a sound. You tripped and stumbled over your feet as you fell to the ground. Everything seemed to echo in your ears. The world seemed like it was endlessly spinning. Dots of blacks appeared within your vision. Felix and Changbin were calling out your name, but you could barely make out their voices. You could barely make out the sounds of the two desperately coughing and gasping for air only to inhale more of the poisonous gas. You slumped down to the ground as darkness enveloped your vision. The last thing you could make out was Felix on his knees hacking his lungs out and Changbin crawling towards you. 

The next series of events went by like scenes of a movie. You weren’t fully unconscious, your world was flashing in and out of darkness. You only caught glimpses of what happened before it all went back again. You saw both Felix and soon after Changbin collapsing fully to the ground. Then you could faintly hear a whizzing sound. Afterwards, you saw a figure swinging into your line of sight from a grapple hook. The figure stopped momentarily to grab ahold of Felix within an arm and Changbin across the shoulders. You could barely make out a splash of red before grapple hooking away. Next you saw a dark silhouette appear within your sight.

“Oh my god. You’re ok… you’re ok...” you could barely make out his voice before your world went dark again. You then awoke in the man’s arms and attempted to look at the man’s face. His arms felt familiar. Being in his hold felt normal and… at home. You tried to make out features, but your brain was mush and your vision wasn’t any better. You were unable to make out any noteworthy features before the world went dark again. Finally, you awoke lying on vibrant green grass. Your eyes squinted shut from the bright light. Cracking an eye open, you noticed the clear blue skies before finally realizing both Changbin and Felix on the grass before you unconscious. You spotted the red headed sniper propped up on a rock. His head was bowed down as you was coughing furiously into the crook of his arm. You could hear him wheeze every single pause he took to gasp for air.

“Jeong...in...” you tried to call out weakly, pathetically attempting to crawl towards him. “You… saved us...”

Jeongin panted, dropping his arm. His breath was weak, you could hear the wheeze after each and every one of his inhales and exhales. 

“Did..didn’t save you...” Jeongin wheezed. “Some...one… else...I..don’t… I don’t-” Jeongin erupted into a fit of coughs again.

“What...?” you whispered breathlessly in disbelief. You fully fell to the ground again, the side of your face made into contact with soft grass, your arm fell limp beside you. Jeongin fumbled with the pouches on his body. He pulled out a small box and popped open the lid and placed it in front of your face. Your eyes made out a faint glint of the object’s shine. You could make out it’s slim, long and circular shape with it ending in a sharp point.

Your heart shattered even more if it was possible as you broke out into weeps recognizing the metal objects.

**~Voting Opportunity~**

**Do you want to take Han | Han Jisung’s metal claws for yourself?**

**Yes: ** Gain the ability to climb fully vertical walls without the need of hand and feet purchase, gain the ability to use the claws as weapons.

**Or**

**No: ** Will be left as memorabilia alongside Porcelain Mask at the SKZ base.  ** _Warning: _ ** _ You will not have access to the claws from this point on if you choose this option. _

**~Voting Opportunity~**

**Do you want to see Hwang Hyunjin?**

** _Yes _ ** or  ** _No_ **

**~Voting Opportunity~**

**A/N: ** I know I haven’t left out any clues or hints about what the next mission is, but from this point on, I want you all to keep in the back of your mind who you think the Desert Fox is and what is the Desert Fox’s relationship to Stray Kids based on the hints I left in this chapter. 

Which Stray Kids Member do you want to send on your next mission?

  * Kim Woojin **[Status: AWOL*]**
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan 
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavy injury)
  * Seo Changbin (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
  * Hwang Hyunjin (Heavy Injury // Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
  * Han | Han Jisung **[Status: Deceased]**
  * Lee Felix (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
  * Kim Seungmin (Will not be available until **1 **members have gone)
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin (Will not be available until **4 **members have gone)

*** ** : AWOL = Away on leave, but Woojin will return when called upon.

_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Desert Fox will be an important figure in this story now. In case you didn't catch it, the reader actually encountered the actual Desert Fox in this chapter. I recommend going back to the character profiles because you may need it to help theorize who the Desert Fox is and his relationship to Stray Kids.
> 
> So yea, 3 voting opportunities. Be sure to vote for all 3!  
Here's an optional 4th one that you don't necessarily need to answer, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts: How is the Desert Fox related to Stray Kids?
> 
> Also I feel bad leaving yallsters hanging for 3 weeks so... If you're having difficulties trying to pick out the details, ask and I'll try help out without revealing too much.


	26. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 《You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The Desert Fox is out there and they're closer than you think.
> 
> Are you sure you want to trust Bang Christopher Chan?》

Mission Briefing

Mission Obj: N/A

Mission Partner: Bang Christopher Chan

A/N: This chapter is not in chronological order. It will jump between one of three critical points of time: when SKZ are still in the "inside" (same point in time as the character profiles), when SKZ is first formed, and present day continuing from where Ch12 is left off.

A/N 2: This chapter is very dialogue heavy. I recommend paying attention to what people say.

"I got you. It's going to be ok… you're going to be ok… " you could hear a voice echoing in your ears. The voice was familiar and soothing. Your head was spinning and pounding all at once. You cracked your eyes open a bit. Everything seemed bright and moving way too much. You could barely make out the blurry figure looking directly at you. You were cradled in his arms with one arm supporting your back and another supporting your knees. You could vaguely make out blond hair and a splash of purple before you succumb to darkness once more.

~ 

"Chan, was it?" you asked, walking up to him.

Said man was fumbling with his possessions. Within an arm was a textbook and his laptop and within his underarms were his crutches. He attempted to turn towards you, hopping on his good leg, knocking over one of his crutches in the process. He looked at the fallen aid with a pout on his lips as his head hung low.

"S-sorry," you quickly apologized, bowing slightly and bending down to pick up the fallen crutch.

"It's fine really," Chan watched you standing up with his crutch. "What is it that you need?"

You bit your bottom lip eyeing your university's top student before you. He had a look of concern on his face as his eyes glossed over in worry. You recalled that night from the week prior. Seungmin stormed out of the room with a very prominent scowl. His expression held true rage as the swinging door slammed against the wall, the noise echoing throughout the empty hallway. Not long after, you watched the top student hobbled out right after. Seungmin wouldn't say what got him all bothered and he's currently ignoring you and actively avoiding you due to you constantly badgering him. So Bang Christopher Chan was your next best bet.

You cleared your throat. "What happened between you and Seungmin?"

He raised an eyebrow to your question.

"I-I uh. L-last week," you cursed yourself from stammering. You knew he was difficult to approach just like the university's second, Kim Woojin. Your air of confidence quickly dissipated seeing his stern demeanor. "Seung-Seu- Minnie looked to be very upset."

Chan exhaled softly and threw his head back, his head bounced softly off the wall behind him. 

"Ah, yes," Chan initiated, sighing once more. "I was going to talk to you about that."

"M-me?" you stammered. Why would Chan affiliate himself with you? You were a nobody compared to genius Chan and even math genius Seungmin. How did he even know about you? It wasn't like Seungmin and you were friends per se. More like cat and mouse.

"Just not this way and not this soon…," Chan trailed off. "I need time to collect my thoughts."

Chan reached forward to collect his fallen crutch from your hands and turned to leave.

"W-wait! I'm- I'm Y/N!"

Chan turned to eye you up and down. "I know." He turned away once more his laptop and textbook under one arm and both his crutches on the other. He then proceeded to walk off one leg after the other as if his heavily casted and splinted leg wasn't injured at all.

Your mouth gaped open to say something, but you closed it as no words formed from your confusion. 

Something about him wasn't quite right. Why would he hide the fact that he could walk perfectly fine?

They say that absolute power corrupts absolutely. In this world, lies are what controls everything. Sweet beautiful lies. The only enemy: the truth, the cold painful truth of how the world actually works.

If having the truth is absolute power, wouldn't those who hold the truth be absolutely corrupted?

It's been about a week since your encounter with Chan. What did he mean that he wanted to talk to you? How did it tie into what happened between him and Seungmin.

"Can't you mind your own fucking business?" Seungmin seethed at you, slamming his math textbook on the table in front of you.

"Something happened between you and Chan. You looked upset," you stated blatantly.

"And you care… why? I'm always pissed. We're not even friends," Seungmin spat.

You bit your tongue ignoring the stinging pain in your chest. Seungmin sighed running his hand through his hair and looked around, checking to see if anyone was around. Seungmin gently grasped your hand and leaned forward prompting you to lean forward.

"I intend to keep my promise to you… it's just… complicated right now," Seungmin whispered. "So please stay out of it until I get a full grasp of the situation, ok?"

"Minnie-"

"Please," Seungmin breathed out, standing up to leave.

The second Seungmin left the room, closing the door softly behind him, a voice whispered out.

"Y/N." It was Chan. You turned towards the sound of his voice, he was stood outside the building in the dark. You could barely make him out from the dim light of the room. You made your way to the window and pulled back the frame.

"Chan?"

"Come out, we need to talk," Chan started.

"But, Seungmin-"

"I know what he said," Chan interjected. "I overheard. Seungmin is stubborn despite him being the one who set up the conditions for the deal."

"Deal? What deal?"

"Come with me and I'll explain-"

"No," you responded firmly. "I'm staying here within earshot of Seungmin in case you try something funny."

"Have you no faith in me?" Chan deadpanned, beginning to climb through the window. His upper body came in first, then his healthy leg, then his bum leg. He slid off the window pane, landing on both his legs.

"I don't think you're trustworthy," you frowned.

"That's fine-"

"Why would you fake being injured? That's a pretty heavy cast, not even close to being able to walk yet," you crossed your arms.

"Keep your voice down. I understand that you don't trust me. Do you trust Seungmin?" Chan pressed.

"What does he have to do with th-"

"Because he's the one who wants to leave the wall and bring you with him."

You bit your lip. You knew of Seungmin's burning desire to join the "outside." He was so miserable here. He spoke truth when he stated that he was always pissed. But why did he want you to go with him?

As if Chan knew what you were thinking, "he wants you there because you made life a little easier to live with you around. He refused to come with me unless I agreed to bring you along."

"That's part of your deal?"

"Yes," Chan frowned. "I want to form a mafia, Stray Kids. I want Seungmin to be part of it."

"A  _ mafia?"  _ you gritted your teeth. "So you're going to be one of  _ them?  _ The outsiders? Murderers?"

"Better out there than in here! We need this mafia to survive!" Chan snapped back, his eyes burned with rage.

"Why Seungmin?! I don't want him to be a part of this!" you roared back slamming your hands on the table.

"That's the problem. I wanted Seungmin. I didn't want  _ you," _ he emphasized the you with such animosity and hatred.

You were at a loss of words.

"This is why Seungmim was upset! I wanted, no I  _ needed  _ him in Stray Kids, but Seungmin absolutely refused. He's rather stay in this shit hole than leave you behind in it!" Chan was fuming with rage and his words that were dripping with venom showed it. His pale face reddened as veins protrude out of his neck.

"But why Seungmin? He's just a math stud-"

"A math student who could make explosives from scratch!"

"Now you're just speaking nonsense! You don't even know Seun-"

"No.  _ You  _ don't know Seungmin," Chan frowned.

"Chan, please just consider-"

"You weren't even considered at all," Chan deadpanned. 

~

"Can't you come with me, Minnie?" you asked, playing with the hem of your shirt.

"Sorry, but no," Seungmin stood up and faced you patting down his pants. The dirt and dust fell out in a small puff. "I have to help Hwang develop functional wings."

"But man flying is unrealistic," you quipped.

"Everything he does is unrealistic," Seungmin stated. "Hwang actually developed some magic fluid that can close bullet wounds in like 5 seconds!"

"I guess… but I don't want to be alone with Chan," you grumbled. "I don't think he likes me."

Seungmin walked forwards and firmly grasped both your shoulders, giving them a rather rough squeeze. He had a stern face as his eyes seemed as if it was glaring daggers through you. He pressed his lips together as his eyebrows furrowed as if he was contemplating his words. 

"Just… bear with it. I'll figure it out,  _ I promise, _ " Seungmin breathed out.

"Figure what out?" You looked deep into his eyes.

"I don't know yet," Seungmin gazed softened a but before falling back to his normal stern face. "Now go to our leader, dummy, before I kick your ass."

~

The path you had to take was rather unconventional. Stray Kids recently laid claim on an abandoned lot of land. The once bustling city that was filled with lights and laughter is now just mere rubble standing from the ground. Chan had called the land claim "District 9."

You were to meet said man there following a special set of directions Chan as provided. Stray Kids is a bit new to the game and still weak and under the radar. If you didn't know better, you would've thought that Chan just didn't like you and would much rather be away from your presence. But in reality, it was much too dangerous for you both to be seen together. That alone is already way too much information about Stray Kids out in the world. Stray Kids is already holding out on two fronts; one already being too many. Not only did Stray Kids have to fend for themselves in this bitch of a world, they had to fend off and compete with the dangers of the "outside" filled with gangs, mafias and extremists while hiding from the powers of the "inside." Defection is an inexcusable crime, more so when Stray Kids is filled with those who already has a privileged place in society: Woojin and Chan with their out of this world intellect, coupled with Woojin's and Changbin's social status of being hailed from the wealthiest families, and Jeongin being hailed practically as the underground crime lord dealing many weapons and inhumane items. Stray Kids is really out here with a large target on its back.

The "inside" was a cruel place. What Chan had showed you that day when you both were arguing about Seungmin's decision to keep you with him stayed with you. What you have seen would most likely never part with you for the rest of your life. 

~

"Hear what I have to say, alright mate?" Chan sighed, jumping up onto the table to sit on and setting down his laptop on his lap. "Out there is better than in here." 

"How so?" you asked warily, pulling up a chair to sit before him.

"Have you noticed anything strange about the people?" Chan started.

"You mean the people in here…?" you inquired. An uneasy feeling brewed up within you. Even if you don't know Chan that well, he seemed to be way too smart to not notice anything out of the ordinary. Whatever it is, it is probably inexcusable justification for why out there is better than in here. 

"Not just in here. The people here don't seem to be… people. I will admit, I never once considered you, but you're different from them," Chan responded sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"What do you mean?"

"You like writing up rowdy students don't you?"

"Not that I like it… I kinda do it, because I feel obligated to." you mumbled.

"So, you aren't so different after all," Chan sighed defeated. "How are those you write up different from other students? Or rather how are they different from those outside campus? Think of Han Jisung. You write him up alot. Consider Kim Woojin also."

"Are you asking me how they are the same?" you replied, flabbergasted. Chan wants you to equate the resident shit head to the practically untouchable rich kid genius.They are from two very different worlds, there can not be any similarities at all other than the obvious, they're both guys.

"Yes, but compare those two to everyone else," Chan instructed trying to point you in the right direction. "What happens to the adults who graduate and get jobs?"

You stayed silent, kind of putting together the pieces Chan has presented you. Jisung… how does he compare to Woojin? Jisung is loud, outgoing and well… a little shit. Woojin seemed calm and collected and well mannered. How were they different from the working class adults? Their faces flash before you in a split second vision. The both of them were… smiling. Then it hit you, but your idea seemed way out of left field but it's all you had.

"You look like you finally understand. It may seem minute and miniscule, but that's the smaller piece to a larger picture," Chan explained.

"So you're saying that Jisung and Woojin are similar to each other and different from the people because they feel?"

"Exactly."

Your heart sank to your stomach. You never really considered it. You knew people were different, but it never really crossed your mind. The people outside seemed to operate on a fixed system. Everyday was the same. Everyone with the same plastic emotion.

"Schools… only exist to brainwash teens, to brainwash them into the same system. School systems are 8 hours a day. A full work day is 8 hours. That's not a coincidence. 8 hours of listening to a higher up who imposes a hidden curriculum that would condition you to act a certain way, to think a certain way just to transition to the same metronomic and monotonous work force," Chan elaborated. "And I can prove it." Chan patted on the closed screen of his laptop.

You stayed silent, unable to comprehend the mass amount of information you've just been presented. Well, not that you didn't understand, it was more of you did not  _ want  _ to understand, to accept it.

"They taking away our humanity to benefit them. They speak sweet words with their sweet talk of urban development and how man is making history within these walls and talk about a great defense against those outside and freedom. Is it really freedom if we're all bound within these bordering walls?" Chan continued. "They gloat on their successes, but when there is success, there's failure. If the inside powers are winning, then who's losing?"

"Then it's true…?" your voice wavered, remembering Seungmin's position. "Are you… and Woojin suffering...like Seungmin is?"

"Yes…" Chan whispered out after a pregnant pause. Chan opened up his laptop and tapped away at the keys momentarily before turning the laptop to face you. You watched a few windows pop up as each white window began filling with black and blue text. "Recognize these people?"

You gasped reading out the list of names. You recognized a few, they were those you wrote up being rowdy and disrupting the peace of the lecture rooms. You never did see them around after you wrote them up. You just assumed they were thrown in the dean's office in what virtually was detention with Lee Felix who practically lived there judging by how many fights he's gotten himself into.

"These are a list of names I've gathered from government databases. These are the failures that get wiped out. They've been erased as if they never existed."

Tears brim your eyes as you look at one of the recent names. Your heart constricted at the sight of it. You aided the cause of those people's disappearance and almost caused the disappearance of the most recent one, Kim Seungmin. 

"Do you see the problem? Not only do I need Seungmin, I'm also trying to save him," Chan stared at you as his eyes darkened. 

"Yea… I'm the problem," you frowned.

~

You may or may not have gotten lost on the way to District 9. The directions Chan provided you were so out of left field. You were 99% certain that Chan didn't proofread when he scribbled it down on paper, but as Chan as always said, even when the odds look bad, there is still that 1%. That 1% is most likely you being directionally challenged… which does not help your case in the slightest.

You let out a loud exclamation of relief when you finally made it to District 9. You hobbled your way in ignoring the heavy feeling of pain and exhaustion in your legs. You head towards the designated rendezvous point. You caught a glimpse of your leader's blond hair and neon orange accents on his clothing, but who you saw him with made you hide behind a destroyed wall. Chan was whispering to a man wearing all white. The man had his face covered and on his head was a white helmet with a matching white balaclava. Chan discreetly handed the man a folded piece of parchment from his pocket, a letter of sorts. You recognized the man's white uniform, it was the same as the powers of the "inside."

Why is Chan consorting with your enemy? Especially one whom Chan desperately tried to escape from?

You waited for the man in white to make himself scarce. It was then you decided to emerge from your hiding spot.

"You're late," Chan scolded with disapproval.

"Sorry, I couldn't read your chicken scratch." You fished out Chan's written directions from your pocket and handed it to your leader. 

"Oh…" Chan trailed off, looking back at his handwriting. "Sorry." He quickly made work of the paper and burned it with his lighter.

"So who was that, Chan?" you asked warily, carefully watching his change of expression.

"It's just one of my contacts. Come," Chan changed the subject. "I want to show you District 9."

You squinted at Chan, suspicious of how he very quickly changed the subject.

"District 9 will be our information hub. Hacking and digital information can only go so far, you need the raw undocumented information from humans. I'm going to have Lee Know and Seungmin blow some underground safehouses and tunnels. Woojin can provide the traps for Changbin and Jeongin to set above ground in case some other stragglers want to lay claim to District 9," Chan explained, turning around to face you and walk backwards.

"You're going to safehouse… people? How are you going to do that?"

"Simple, we fulfill their needs, they're indebted to us, we get what we want."

You nodded slowly, pressing your lips together, not wanting to speak your mind. 

"Go on," Chan pressed as if he knew your thoughts.

"But that would be plenty of mouths to feed and many to look after. I mean you didn't want me to join Stray Kids because I basically get in the way and use up resources…and I'm pretty sure you don't even like me-" you hesitated realizing who you basically blew up at. "... sir."

Chan looked at you blankly as if he wasn't fazed by your response. 

"I see," Chan merely stated as he turned away from you and continued walking.

~

You jolted awake with a gasp. You heavily panted into the oxygen mask on your face. Once you realized what was strapped on your face, you slowed your inhales and exhales to savor the fresh oxygen your lungs desperately needed and closed your eyes. Your lungs still burned and ached from all the gas you've inhaled. A gentle hand wrapped around your shoulders and pulled you into their chest. Instinctively, you nuzzled your cheek within the soft fabric of the material as you listened to their heart beat.

"It's okay. You're home. You're safe now."

Your eyes widen at the voice. It was not who you expected. You expected either Felix who tended to get extra clingy whenever a mission of yours went south or Seungmin because… Seungmin. You snapped your head up to make eye contact with Chan. His eyes were bloodshot and his dark circles were very prominent.

You jumped out of his arms and stood abruptly. Chan sat up slightly to look at you with concern on his face. Your eyes darted around the room. You recognized it to be Hyunjin's room where he does the post mission check ups. The room was dark, the only source of illumination was his many screens. One of which is now permanently switched off.

You glanced across the room, sighing in relief seeing Felix asleep in one of the cots with an oxygen mask on as well. Changbin was sat on his cot, oxygen mask on as well, adjusting and adding attachments to his guns. Jeongin was in the corner slouched on a chair. His knees were pulled to his chest as he seemed to be resting his head on his knees, also wearing an oxygen mask.

"You alright?" Chan whispered out, his voice was raspy as if he was parched with water. His question of concern broke you out of your thoughts.

"Jesus, go to sleep, Chan," you quipped, a bit too quickly to your liking. You eyed Chan warily remembering the events of the mission the day before.

The Desert Fox is out there and you feared that he's closer than ever, but you had so very little to go off of him. Your only lead was from that hidden settlement of the people who used to work for the man. You had to go back. You had to find that woman.

"But…" it seemed his sleep deprivation had caught up to him. Chan was usually excellent at reading people, but now he didn't realize your slip up.

"It's okay, Channie…" you cooed softly, your voice muffled with your oxygen mask. You softly combed your fingers through his blond locks, he let out a low hum on contact. "Just go to sleep, ok? I'll be right back. I just want to see Hyunjin for a bit."

Chan's eyes were drooping and at this point, they were basically screwed shut but his upper chest was still supported upward by his elbow resting on the cot. He nodded softly and reached over the edge for the oxygen and handed it to you. He then eased himself into a more comfortable position on the cot.

You quietly exited out of Hyunjin's room with the oxygen tank you held securely to your chest. You made it down the hallway to Seungmin's room. You last remembered Seungmin running off with the medic. The door was slightly ajar so you pushed it open. The room was dark, the only light was the desk lamp. Seungmin was slouched over the table with his head in between his crossed arms. His shoulders rose and fell steadily signifying to you that he was asleep.

You carefully walked in, not making any noise. You felt a pang of pain as you saw all the bloody bandages and gauzes on the floor as well as Hyunjin's shattered wings. Hyunjin was stomachside down on Seungmin's bed. His arms were limp at his side as his head was turned on the pillow. His lower half was covered by Seungmin's blanket, but his upper half was exposed. He wasn't wearing a shirt. You noticed his usual white suit that he wore was dirty with splotches of blood on a chair in the corner. His back was heavily bandaged and you can see deep colors of red seeping through.

"Hyunjin?" you whispered out, brushing away his sweaty bangs out of his eyes. You could only imagine the screams of pain Hyunjin let out when Seungmin was removing his wings. Anything making direct contact with the nervous system is excruciating. Even mere oxygen to exposed nerves can cause your nerves to flare up and the pain could almost equate to being set on fire.

You gazed at his resting face. He had a relaxed expression as if he was in a peaceful slumber, as if he wasn't injured at all. Hyunjin let out a small groan and cracked a singular eye open.

"Take… a picture… it lasts longer…" Hyunjin groaned out.

You guffawed. Of course, Hyunjin would crack that when he's bedridden in not even his own bed.

"Mission… success?" he asked weakly.

You settled your breathing and wiped away stray tears before shaking your head lightly. 

"I'm sorry…" Hyunjin trailed off. 

"Oh yea… I just remembered," you whispered, pulling out a small box that Jeongin gave you. "This is for you."

You placed the box by Hyunjin's head. His arm slowly reached up to open it, revealing a delicate white porcelain squirrel mask nestling snugly inside.

** _~Bearing Update~ _ **

**You decided to talk to Hyunjin, your relationship status increased.**

**~Mission Briefing~**

Location: Cave Settlement

Weather: Clear

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : 0000

Mission Objectives: Return back to the cave settlement. Find that woman. Find out who the Desert Fox is.

Mission Partners:

**Note: Please read**

_ This will be a rare case where every member restrictions WILL BE dropped. The previous restrictions from the previous chapter will carry onto the next voting phase.  _

_ The reason for this is because the Desert Fox is now a primary antagonist of OM and he is closer than ever, way too close to home. This next mission is a SECRET mission that you, the reader, is embarking on without any other SKZ member knowing. So… _

Which Stray Kids Member  ** _do you trust to accompany_ ** you on this secret mission?

  * Kim Woojin **[Status: AWOL*]**
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan 
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavy injury)
  * Seo Changbin 
  * Hwang Hyunjin (Heavy Injury)
  * Han | Han Jisung **[Status: Deceased]**
  * Lee Felix 
  * Kim Seungmin 
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin

*** ** : AWOL = Away on leave, but Woojin will return when called upon. ( **A/N: ** Clarification on WJ's current status. A majority of you voted to keep Woojin in Operation Miroh. This means Woojin is still an active member of SKZ in Operation Miroh. His AWOL status means that he's NOT currently in the SKZ warehouse/base with the other members until he's get voted in as a mission partner. Once Woojin is voted as a mission partner, after the mission, he WILL BE RETURNING back to the base and is AWOL status will be  removed ).

  
  
  
  



	27. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I think the Desert Fox is one of us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proofread #WeDyingLikeMEN  
Also, sorry this chapter is late I was swamped with Finals.  
Enjoy!

Secret Mission Briefing

Location: Unknown Settlement

Weather: Rainy

Date: 20XX 

Time of Day : 0000

Mission Objective: Undercover info about the "Desert Fox"

Mission Partners: Seo Changbin

You slowly closed the door behind you. The door closed with a soft click. Your stance and demeanor fell; your shoulders slumped as your forehead connected with the door dejectedly. The heavy lingering atmosphere was looming over you, pushing you down making it harder to breathe. You turned and pressed your back against the door as you eyed each of the closed door in the long dark hallway. You gazed at the closed door next to you, a door that would never be opened again and the room will forever be empty now. 

This base. This hideout of yours. This hideout of Stray Kids used to feel so safe and comfortable. It sheltered you from the dangers of the world and you felt your previous life living under extreme hidden dangers were so far away, but now, this place you once called home is now breached and you felt as vulnerable as ever. A friend is suddenly gone. But now, who do you even call a friend?

You trudged down the hallway, lifting up one leg after another returning back to Hyunjin’s room. You pushed open the slightly ajar door and peered in. Chan and Felix were still sound asleep, Jeongin was still curled up in the chair at the corner and Changbin was still sat up fiddling and cleaning his guns. You knocked on the open door softly to catch the weapon dealer’s attention. The second he turned to look at you, you gestered your head signifying him to come out and you left, leaving the oxygen tank behind by the door.

You stepped foot out of the base, the suffocating feeling alleviated momentarily. The cool air kissing your exposed skin helped calm your nerves a bit. Despite this, your fear and anxiety still crawled and bubbled within you. Your mind was restless as you can’t stop the lingering thoughts. Before you could fully be consumed by your thoughts, you were snapped out of your daze by two fingers tapping on your cheeks delicately.

“Room for another?” Changbin whispered out with a small smile and you nodded softly.

“Are you okay?” you asked,

Changbin sniffled, face scrunching up a bit. He nodded softly and whispered out a small “yeah.” His voice was breathy, scratchy and weak.

You nodded looking away. The full moon illuminated the surrounding locale making everything shine an iridescent blue. A chilly and soft breeze came by.

“It’s late, what is on your mind?” Changbin asked out, sensing your internal discourse.

“I’m scared,” you gulped, sniffling softly. You looked up to the full moon, blinking profusely trying to stop the dam that’s so close to breaking.

“Why are you scared? There’s nothing to fear here. You’re here. You’re with us. You’re  _ home, _ ” Changbin tried to console you.

“That’s the problem,” your voice cracked. 

You quickly turned to him, taking his large hands between yours in a pleading manner.

“You absolutely cannot tell anyone, please Binnie,” you begged. Your eyes were wide and pleading. Changbin could see all your fears and worries in your eyes and he felt his heart constrict in pain. 

Changbin nods hesitantly, sensing the distress within you.

“I don’t know who to trust,” you whispered. “I don’t know who to trust anymore. I just feel so lost and alone. Binne, it’s you. It’s only you right now. You’re the only one I can trust.”

Changbin nodded slowly. “What is it?”

“ _ I think the Desert Fox is one of us. _ ”

The silence that followed was a loud silence. You could hear a pin drop from how silent it was, but you knew from the silence that what you said was a huge bomb you just dropped.

“We’re going to go back. It’s our only lead on the Desert Fox,” you carefully pulled out a hanging gas mask from your waist. Prior leaving the base, you made sure to sneak into Minho’s room to grabbing a couple of gas masks.

You offered the gas mask in between shaking hands. Your mind was racing with thoughts and your heart was thundering in your chest. You didn’t want to accept reality. You begged the universe that what you were feeling was mere paranoia, but you can’t help but feel if Changbin accepts the gas mask, your worries would be set in stone. No longer were your fears a fragment of your imagination, it would be your reality. Your eyes fell to the metal accessories decorating your fingers. Your heart constricted at the sight Han Jisung’s smiling face appeared before you in a vision as your face fell. You bit the inside of your cheek to stop the impending fears.

You had to be strong. You had to be strong for him. The Desert Fox took him away from you, he took Jisung away from Stray Kids and you had to do everything in your power to bring him to light. 

You stood straight swallowing your tears away, now fueled with new found determination.

“Seo Changbin,” the man jolted in surprise hearing his full name escaping your lips with a sternness that he hardly recognized. “Are you in?”

He watched you transform before his eyes. From once you were so very vulnerable, now your eyes raged on with a newfound determination. He knew you would stand by your decision, not letting anything change your mind. Despite your absurd accusation, something lingered in the back of his mind. Something was telling him that a newfound danger was coming, a danger that was blossoming from deep within. The only thought that crossed his mind was that he had to protect you at all costs, because his gut feeling told him, that whatever decision you would follow through with will ultimately cost you your life and you would die with little to no regrets.

“Okay.” Changbin responded firmly, accepting the gas mask you were offering.

~

“Are you ready to face whatever it is that is in there?” Changbin asked wanting to know if you were 100% mentally prepared about what’s going to happen next. A previous chapter has closed, now a dark chapter has opened up and he’s sure that there will not be a happy ending.

“We have to,” you spoke out darkly and walked forward to the cave entrance without a second thought.

Changbin frowned at your tone. You were changing, but you couldn’t help yourself. It’s funny how pain and betrayal changes a person.

Your gaze darkened at the sight and Changbin let out a small growl. From once was a place of beauty, now it was a ghost town. There was now a heavy lingering smog hat was tainted with a dark mustard yellow color.

“This place used to be so filled with life,” you whispered out.

“Now it’s just a ghost town,” Changbin growled out, his eyebrows furrowed at the sight.

You both adjust your gas mask, tightening the straps. You both nodded at each other nodding in confirmation. You both jumped off the cliff, landing on the ground with a soft thud. The impact unsettled the lingering gas and dust, creating a small cloud surrounding both of you individually.

“With this amount of gas, I don’t think your lady is here,” Changbin started, stepping over a dead body.

“Yeah...” you breathed out looking at your surrounding area. Several corpses littered the ground. Corpses of the people you saw alive and well a mere day before.

“The Desert Fox will pay,” Changbin seethed clenching his fists. “I will kill him with my own two hands.”

“Even if the lady isn’t here, she’s got to have left some clues behind.”

Changbin nodded. “Let’s keep going.”

You headed towards the back of the underground settlement.

“Oh my god...” you breathed out in shock and horror.

Your lady WAS here. However, she was bound and tied to a wooden post. The flesh on her face was red, raw and practically melting off, revealing the muscles underneath. Her eyelids were completely gone exposing her white eyeballs.

You turned away in horror and disgust, not being able to bring yourself to look at the sight. Changbin threaded a hand through your hair and pulled you flush into his chest.

“This is a goddamn war crime,” Changbin barked out. You felt his body tense up.

“Who could do something like this?” you whimpered in his chest.

“Who fucking else? I’m definitely going to fucking kill him.”

“But who  _ is  _ he anyway?” you pulled away to look at him. You made eye contact with the weapons dealer. You couldn’t see his expression due to the gas mask, but his eyes said it all. You can see the rage burning within him.

“You think it’s one of us, right?” he asked.

You nodded slowly. Changbin trusted your judgement, you were very well adept at piecing things together. If you thought Desert Fox was one of us, then he definitely is. There was no way in hell you would accuse anyone in Stray Kids if it weren’t the case.

“Well, what do you have so far?”

“I, um, do you remember when we left for this mission yesterday?” Changbin nodded in response. “I noticed Chan’s laptop lying on the ground in the warehouse in the corner.”

“Wait, what? Why? I thought Chan hyung repairs his laptop, why would he have another one lying around?”

“I don’t know. You’ve known Chan way longer-”

“I only knew him because I watched his knee get blasted,” Changbin deadpanned.

“Ok, OTHER than that. Weren’t you, Chan and Jisung in 3RACHA or some shit?”

“Ok, that was just a phase,  _ mom, _ ” Changbin snorted. “But yea, it was when Chan was still hammering out the details of Stray Kids.”

“Did he ever change his laptop?”

“Actually...now that I think about it, I think he has. I vaguely remember him stating that he wanted to start with a clean slate, but I thought he destroyed that laptop...”

“Could it be Chan?” you whispered out.

“It could be someone else using Chan’s spare-” Changbin gasped.

“What is it?”

“Chan told Jisung to destroy that laptop.”

“Are you saying Jisung is Desert Fox?” you whispered. “B-But, he’s....”

“It’s a possibility. It also could be Woojin hyung?”

“ _ No.  _ Not bear-”

“It’s a possibility. Chan’s laptop was out there in the open, someone could’ve been using it. Woojin hyung’s been gone since he announced he was going away for a bit. He could’ve been in the warehouse all along using Chan’s laptop.”

“I can’t believe this.”

“You can not disregard anything. It may seem slim, but it’s still a chance.”

You dropped your head in defeat, your forehead coming into contact with his chest. Changbin brought up his hands to your shoulders, his thumbs rubbing small circles in the flesh to console you. 

“I know it’s hard, but you need to keep an open mind. The Desert Fox is one of us, they may be playing us all along, ok?”

You nodded in defeat.

“Listen, whoever had Chan’s laptop knew of all your missions. I’ve read all your briefings. Didn’t every mission go south in some way or form?”

Your eyes widen as his words settled in.

~

_ Woojin was about to contribute his thoughts but a loud thud broke through the silence and followed by running. Woojin reacted by immediately dashing towards the open back door. You followed and both bolt after the intruder. The intruder tried to break line of sight by swerving into the alleyways, but he wasn’t getting away that easily. The both of you quickly cornered him in a tight alleyway with a huge brick wall at the end. The man didn’t stop running. Woojin let out an exasperated sigh as the man scaled the wall next to him, using his upward momentum to jump to the wall behind him repeating the process until he can grab ahold of the tall brick wall. Your eyes widen at the face of the man who intruded on you both. _

_ “You,” you gasp out menacingly. _

_ He smirked. The man that caused the incident. The incident that left you severely burned, forced to be bedridden in a hospital in the middle of nowhere for months until Stray Kids located and came for you.  _ [Chapter 3]

A secret mission after you’ve been reinstated. It should’ve been easy and quiet. Yet your enemy at the time knew where you were. He had no reason to return to that bakery especially after he already had the baker within his grasp.

~

_ “Look at what we found,” two men appeared behind you. _

_ With the two men was Bang Chan himself held in a chokehold with a knife pressed to the soft flesh of his neck. The other man was casually looking through Chan’s laptop. Instantly, you felt your stomach drop seeing your leader at knifepoint and incapacitated.  _ [Chapter 5]

Chan was capable. He is one of the more capable members of Stray Kids. You all collectively agreed that Chan was 3rd best at close quarter combat after Felix and Woojin respectively. So how did he get captured and placed at knifepoint by two ill trained goons?

~

When Lee Know and you were sent to investigate “Paradise,” you both were left incapacitated and injured. You both would have bled out and died there if it weren’t for Seungmin coming along and extracting you both… but how did Seungmin know where you both were?

Lee Know and you only found “Paradise” because you allowed yourselves to be captures and Chan himself mentioned he had never heard of the place before despite his vast knowledge of the world.

~

_ “Going to send Bang Chan and Stray Kids a message,” the man gazed at you at the trapdoor unbeknownst to you due to your limited line of sight. _

_ Your earpiece buzzed back to life. “GET OUT OF THERE!” Seungmin’s voice boomed with urgency. Over his exclamation you can make out his rapid footsteps and labored breathing as well as the loud crunching of dirt and gravel beneath his feet. _

_ “We’re going to show Bang Chan what it means to play with fire. You play with fire, you’re going to get burned.” _

_ The man grabbed his goon and tossed him over the trap door. The weight of his body slammed into the wood door against your head causing you to slip off the ladder falling to the floor below with a loud thud and groan. _

_ “GET OUT!” Seungmin panicked. “I’VE LOST ALL CONTROL OVER THE C4. SOMEONE’S OVERRID-” _

_ “Say goodbye to your precious member, Christopher,” the man seethed as he jumped off the tower landing on one of the rooftops below. He pulled the trigger on the ignition device he had in his hand.  _ [Chapter 9]

The man knew. He  _ knew.  _ How did he know that you were there for him?

Not only that, someone overridden the C4 that Seungmin himself planted.

~

_ You tsked figuring [the crate] was unlabeled and unmarked just like all the others. Unsheathing your knife once more, you force the black blade underneath the lid to pry it open. The worn wood moaned under the pressure as the rusted nails pop out one by one; eventually, the lid would be able to slide right off. _

_ “What the fuck?” you whispered to yourself. Within the box were several sacks with an ominous black skull with crossbones on every one of them. _

_ “Hyunjin?” you buzzed into voice comms.  _

_ “How may I be of assistance?” his words were too polite, almost as if he was being sarcastic. _

_ “I don’t know what I’m looking at,” you whispered as you cut open the sack with your knife, its contents spilling right out. _

_ “Very enlightening,” now his voice was sarcastic, the radio static buzzed softly. _

_ “It looks like green rocks that have some sort of luminous glow to them.” _

_ “Shit,” Hyunjin cursed. _

_ “Jinnie?” _

_ “Destroy them.”  _

_ “Wha-” _

_ “Destroy them, don’t get it on your hands, don’t expose it to the air too much,” Hyunjin commanded. _

_ “What are they?” you asked as you felt your heart drop down to your stomach fearing his answer. “How do I destroy it?” _

_ “Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers for,” Hyunjin stated.  _ [Chapter 10]

Hyunjin has seen the darn green rocks. He knows of the gas, yet his final words echoed within your mind.

_ “Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers for.” _

What did he mean about that? He knew of the gas, he knew what it was. He knew how dangerous it was, but he never told you or Chan what it was.

~

And finally, your recent mission with Changbin and Felix. 

The woman you met that fled from you accused you of being affiliated with Desert Fox by the way you dressed. Stray Kids has their own unique motif: neon or bright colors. It’s what makes SKZ stand out and unique, differing from all the other gangs and mafias.

Felix got outed by his fighting style. Everyone has a unique fighting style. It’s like fingerprints. Sure two people can do Tae Kwon Do, but how they perform each move and attack is so unique with its own little quirks that can only belong to one person. The guards recognized Felix by his fighting style. Is he Desert Fox or is the Desert Fox someone close enough to Felix to  _ mimic  _ his style?

Finally Changbin. He got outed by the guns he brought to the weapons deal. The people recognized the guns to belong to the Desert Fox, but the guns Changbin bought were fully customized and unique and no replica of it exists anywhere else in the world.

Guns customized with the joint efforts of Seungmin and Jeongin, but Changbin also had quite a hand in many of the customized weapons Stray Kids owned.

“Do you finally understand?” Changbin broke you out of your thoughts.

You nodded, letting out a shaking breath. 

“Y-yeah,” you panted. Your heart was hammering in your chest as it felt harder and harder to breathe. Your breaths got more labored and shorter. Tears were brimming your eyes as you failed to keep yourself together.

“Hey hey, easy. Breathe,” Changbin tried to ground you by grasping your shoulders firmly. “Inhale 4 seconds through your nose, hold for 7 seconds then exhale through your mouth 8 seconds.”

You did as he told.

“Now do it several times,” his voice was gentle. You nodded following his orders.

“Better?”

“Y-yea-” you gasped, noticing a dark figure looming on a rooftop. “Chang-Changbin!”

Your hands flew up and quickly turned his body pointing to the figure.

Now his cover was blown, the dark figure attempted to flee.

“It’s him!” Changbin growled out. “It’s the Desert Fox!” 

Changbin charged forward sprinting down the street. “Don’t let him get away!”

You quickly pursued. Using your (Jisung’s) claws, you quickly scaled up the building to pursue the fleeing figure on the roof.

“Hey! Why are you running, you traitor!”

The man turned to face you momentarily. He wore an all black gas mask, but the glass that exposed the eyes was covered with a dark tint and he wore a hood that hid the fringes of his hair. He clearly wasn’t leaving any hints for you on who this guy really is.

“I know you’re one of us Desert Fox!” you accused.

The figure outstretched his left arm parallel to the ground with an item within his hand.

Your eyes widened recognizing the item: a small glass container with several individual compartments wired and connected to a small battery taped on.

Minho’s bottles. His glass bottles were so very crafted and forged in cooperation with Hyunjin and Seungmin. The glasses were so fragile and thin that it can shatter under electrical currents, but sturdy enough where the glass wouldn’t disintegrate under layers of clothing. 

Within the Desert Fox’s other hand, he pulled out a detonator and very quickly pulled the switch. The small glass container he tossed at your shattered under the small electrical current. The contents collapsed on each other created a small, mild explosion that managed to stun you and blast you off the rooftop.

“Y/N!” Changbin screamed out your name in horror seeing you get blasted off the roof. He pushed himself harder, sprinting towards you. His lungs were burning and his legs were sore and shaky as his muscles cried for him to stop. He slid on his knees feeling the dirt and gravel shredding and tearing through the fabric of his jeans and scraping his knees as he caught you in his arms.

Your ears were ringing as black dots littered your visions. Everything seemed to be spinning and your body was in pain.

“It’s ok. It’s ok, I’ve got you.” Changbin’s voice sounded so far away and you could barely make it out with the ringing in your ear. “Stay with me!”

You could faintly feel Changbin tapping your cheek repeatedly. “Stay awake.”

Within your blurry vision, you could see the Desert Fox return to the edge of the building. You could see him face you. Before the darkness of unconsciousness took you over, you could see the Desert Fox turn away. The last thing you saw was him grapple hooking away and disappearing behind the buildings.

And then, your world went dark.

  
  
  
  


Lol Sike, this chapter every member restriction is dropped again.

So yea, this chapter dropped a lot of clues on the potential identity of the Desert Fox, but nothing is definitive. So this voting, put down who do YOU think is the Desert Fox. You don’t need to say why, but I’m interested to hear your thoughts.

So...

_ Be careful who you vote for, it may have  _ ** _deadly _ ** _ consequences. _

Happy Voting!

_ _

Which Stray Kids Member  ** _do you think is the _ ** ** _Desert Fox_ ** you on this secret mission?

  * Kim Woojin **[Status: AWOL*]**
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan 
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavy injury)
  * Seo Changbin 
  * Hwang Hyunjin (Heavy Injury)
  * Han | Han Jisung **[Status: Deceased]**
  * Lee Felix 
  * Kim Seungmin 
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin

*** ** : AWOL = Away on leave, but Woojin will return when called upon. ( **A/N: ** Clarification on WJ's current status. A majority of you voted to keep Woojin in Operation Miroh. This means Woojin is still an active member of SKZ in Operation Miroh. His AWOL status means that he's NOT currently in the SKZ warehouse/base with the other members until he's get voted in as a mission partner. Once Woojin is voted as a mission partner, after the mission, he WILL BE RETURNING back to the base and is AWOL status will be  removed ).


	28. Chapter 15

There are many divides in the world: the “inside” and the “outside,” the good and the bad, and black and white. There is a fine line in the divide… or so you would assume, but… you have to consider. Is there really a fine line between black and white? Or is there an ever growing gray area that will eventually envelope the black and the white.

What’s the difference between the “inside” and the “outside?” The outside has all sorts of shady people: murderers, gangs, mafias. The inside has the tyrannical government where Chan has discovered “the truth,” even though you haven’t the slightest what  _ was  _ the truth. Despite this, you knew the inside was awful. You’re bouncing between two evils and choosing the lesser one. 

There was no home for you. There was no place for comfort. You finally understood those who longed for “Paradise.” The fear and paranoia had caught up to you and you wanted to escape it all. You wanted to find “home,” but now… home was so far out of reach. Your… Stray Kids’ base was your home for a while. You were safe, you were surrounded by family. But now… the base felt as if you were a lost sheep being led to its death and your “family,” Stray Kids, feel like strangers. Not knowing who to trust, now knowing that one of them is the enemy. And  _ he  _ is working to bring down Stray Kids from the inside deceiving us all, but for how long? Was it a recent turn of events? Or was he on the other side before it all started, before Chan had recruited him? 

Your eyes were screwed shut. You were awake for a bit, but your lids felt so heavy that you didn’t have the motivation to open them. The feeling in your chest was indescribable. The fear, the paranoia, the grief, the  _ pain _ . It weighed down on you and you wanted it all to end, but at this point, you even feared death. When you die, you can’t do anything. Nothing will be changed. So… what can you do? 

Cry.

That’s all you did. Tears escaped your clenched eyes. Your lips trembled as you captured your bottom one in hopes to masking the noises that's threatening to escape your lips.

"Hey," a deep voice filled your ears.

Despite being in this cold, dark, bitch of a world, you felt warmth surrounding you.

"Hey," there it was again. The voice. You vaguely felt fingers tapping on your cheek as your sore body was softly being rocked back and forth. You softly felt fingers threaded through your hair and your head was delicately moved to rest against a firm chest. You reveled in the soft heartbeat.

"Y/N," you felt fingers tapping on your cheek again. "Hey, wake up."

You didn't want to. You would much rather let the darkness take you as you wished for time to stop all around you, but you had to wake up. You cracked open your eyes to not worry the male that's holding onto you so delicately as if you were made with glass. The second your lids fluttered open, your tears cascaded down your cheeks. 

"Hey, hey. It's alright, I got you," you could see Changbin's worried face looking over you.

"Bin…" you whispered out.

"Are you alright?"

You let out a small huff. "Hurts."

"Yeah, you were shaken up a bit from that blast."

"Everything hurts," you whispered out. It was the truth everything physically and mentally hurt.

"Do you want to talk about it?" his voice was soft and he talked slowly. Changbin was afraid he would trigger a panic attack. The recent events did not bode well with everyone, but you seemed to take it the hardest. A lot happened in too short of a time.

You didn't want to talk about it. You didn't think that you would ever be ready… but you had to. You had to be strong… but what is there to be strong about? Who even is there to be strong for? Not SKZ, perhaps not even Changbin, not even yourself.

"Minho…" you trailed off.

"Hyung?" 

"Was his glass canisters...was his detonator."

"And Jeongin's grapple hook," Changbin clenched his teeth. His grip on your tightened slightly.

As far as you knew, only Jeongin was able to use the grapple hook. Using the grapple hook was very taxing on the body. Several factors had to be considered when using the device, initial speed, speed mid grapple, your positioning mid grapple, how you're going to land and many more. When any one of these variables is off, you could very well rip your arm straight out of its socket. You remembered how Felix wanted to try Jeongin's grapple hook one time, but he was too rash and hasty and accidentally retracted the rope way too fast from his standing position. His arm popped out of the shoulder socket. He was lucky that the joint didn't completely sever according to Hyunjin or he would've been armless the rest of his life.

"It's Jeongin… it has to be," Changbin's voice was dripping with venom and you could pick out the sound of disdain… and betrayal.

"But… he's your  _ friend,"  _ you tried to reason.

"Look at us. Look at what has happened, we don't  _ have _ friends anymore."

_ ~ _

It was a chilly night. Changbin let out a shaky exhale, watching his breath condense in the cold into thin wisps. Changbin ran his finger through his hair and styling it away from his part and dragging his fingers over his recently shaved fade. 

Changbin pull the fabric of his dark jacket closer to his body to keep his heat from escaping to the cold around him. When he did that, he felt his concealed carry Assault Rifle pressed against his back. Changbin stepped into the dark alley far away from prying eyes.

Changbin had to walk quite a bit aways to get to his destination. He would know he reached his destinations if he sees a thin wispy ray of light coming out behind fabric. Gently grasping the material, he would pull it back and light would flood the alleyway. 

The sight Changbin was greeted with looked very modest. If he didn't know better, it all just looked like a night market of source, but each stall was manned with very gruff looking men. They were all buff and their clothes did little to hold back all the muscle. These people were the ones Changbin had been associating himself with due to them dealing weapons. Then there were those who were skinny and lanky, pale as a sheet with heavy dark circles. These are the ones that deal drugs. Changbin didn't care about drugs. It wasn't worth shortening your life for a couple hours of a pleasant high.

Nowadays, Changbin was bored. The weapons he'd gotten by throwing wads of cash around to these shady men very quickly became lackluster. 

"Hi!" a cheery voice broke him out of his thoughts. Changbin stopped in his tracks and turned towards the voice. There what he saw was a young boy who can't be older than him sitting cross legged on the table top of a stall smiling at him. His hair was a brilliant red and his teeth was lined with braces. He wore quite modest clothing. A black longsleeve and leopard print leggings finished off with a simple black converse.

"Uhhh… hi?" Changbin greeted, approaching the young boy. 

"Do you want to buy something?" the boy chirped. "I have stuff you won't be able to get from the other stalls."

"Aren't you a little young to be a dealer?" Changbin started.

"Aren't you also a bit young to be perusing through the black market?"

"Touche."

"So… what peaks your interests?" the boy asked jumping off his stall and lifting up the wood tabletop revealing several inhumane items.

Changbin could feel as if his eyes had rolled out of his sockets.

Needless to say, the young boy had peaked Changbin's interests. Changbin always returned back to Jeongin's stall regularly paying him for much more than what the weapons cost, but it made the kid happy so he let it slide.

"You seem upset," Changbin pointed out.

"Huh? Sorry, the people here are just mean," Jeongin shrugged, turning away to show Changbin his wares.

"What do you want?"

"Huh?" Jeongin turned towards the elder with wide eyes.

"What item do you want? Clearly these people doesn't seem to respect you enough to sell you their wares."

Jeongin sighed defeated and said in a small voice. "A bolt action sniper rifle."

A lightbulb appeared in his head as he vaguely remembered a stall dealing said sniper rifle. Changbin frowned at the boy who's looking off to the side in shame and twiddling his thumbs. Without saying a word, Changbin turned to leave. Jeongin looked up and attempted to call out to the elder, but the words were latched into his throat and sooner than later Changbin was already gone. Dejected, Jeongin turned away to pack up his stall since no one really buys from him other than the elder mainly due to his age and his location in the market. Jeongin can't necessarily set up in the main area due to the several much larger men there. 

Several minutes later as Jeongin was getting ready to leave and slid his jacket on.

"Are you free tomorrow around 4?"

Jeongin yelped in surprise at the sudden voice as he hopped away in reaction. Changbin stared at the younger with an unreadable expression. Within his hands was the bolt action sniper rifle that Jeongin desperately wanted. 

"What?" Jeongin's mouth gaped open.

"Tomorrow. 4. Are you free?" Changbin raised an eyebrow.

"Y-yes? Aah-" Jeongin quickly caught the sniper rifle that Changbin tossed at him.

"That's yours now. Meet me in front of the alley at 4. Bring your sniper rifle."

"I-" Changbin turned away to leave before Jeongin could say anything."

"Thank you…"

~

Jeongin was wearing modest clothing that was fitting for the current weather. Jeongin was wearing all black with a long sleeved shirt and short sleeved hoodie above it. The skies were dark, gray and storming. It occasionally lit with the lightning and roared with the thunder. Despite his slightly warm clothing, he couldn't help but shiver. He stood at the entrance of the alley like he was told with his rifle wrapped in 2 layers of thick towel on a crate behind him. Jeongin had his head slumped down as he felt the rain pour down on him. Jeongin could've easily left to find shelter as Changbin was an hour late. Jeongin hadn't moved from his spot since a little past 2. It is now half past 5. 

Jeongin didn't expect much. He didn't understand why he still stood there waiting for the elder. It's not like he cared about him… right? Jeongin doesn't know his name, and he never told the elder what was his name as well… but why did he get him the sniper rifle that he wanted?

Jeongin was interrupted from his thoughts when he realized the rain wasn't pouring on him anymore. He looked up to notice you holding an umbrella over his head. Behind you he recognized Seungmin, his other fairly regular buyer, but he was glaring at him with a look saying "not a single word."

Jeongin quickly wore a smile like he always had since that day back then. It was a wide grin spanning from ear to ear showing off his braces and his eyes turned to small crescents.

"Why are you standing out here in the rain?" you asked concerned with your head tilted innocently.

"I'm waiting for someone," Jeongin grinned.

"Oh-"

"He's 2 hours late," Jeongin giggled lightly similar to a small child.

" _ Oh."  _ your voice was small and broken as if you were a small puppy that had just been kicked. You turned to look at Seungmin who just shrugged.

"I'm going to tell him," Seungmin grinned.

"Don't," you scolded and Seungmin merely turned away.

“Here,” you handed the young male the umbrella you were carrying. He hesitantly grabbed ahold of the item. 

You turned away to huddle closer to Seungmin, but a small voice stopped you.

“W-wait!” the redhead called out and unwrapped a tower layer from his bundle and handed it to you. 

You smiled and nodded at him in thanks as you draped the towel over both you and Seungmin as you both jogged away.

Jeongin looked up to the black umbrella and his smile wavered. He saw the close friendship between you and Seungmin and at times wonder what was it like to have a friend. 

“Hey,” a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Changbin stood before him wearing a hoodie and a leather jacket over the hoodie.

“I didn’t think you would still be here, it’s storming after all.”

“I didn’t think you would show up,” Jeongin smiled.

Changbin raised an eyebrow.

“Do you not have anywhere to go?”

“No, I sleep under any canopy I come by and hope I don't get chased out.”

"Ok," Changbin shrugged. "Do you still want to go?"

"...where are we even going?" Jeongin asked still grinning.

"You have your sniper rifle right?"

Jeongin nodded.

"Follow me," Changbin turned away.

"Wait!" Jeongin called put, prompting Changbin to turn around and look at him with an unreadable expression. "Here."

Jeongin handed him the umbrella he was holding. Changbin looked at the item with the same unreadable expression as the rain beat down on him.

"It's so you do not get wet," Jeongin smiled.

"What about you?"

"I'm already wet."

Changbin hesitantly grabbed the handle and Jeongin backed away. Changbin quickly grabbed the boy by the collar of his hoodie and dragged him along under the umbrella. 

~

"Wow," Jeongin gasped out in awe as the duo approached large ravish gates. The metal bars stood tall and firm and the gold seemed to glisten even in the rain.

The gates beeped and shook as they automatically opened as Changbin scanned his hand and inputted a code.

"Is this… your home?" Jeongin whispered out. The mansion before them was big and grand. The white paint and varnish looked to be pristine and the rain droplets made the house seem to sparkle and glow.

"Yeah," Changbin shrugged. "Follow me."

"What about your parents?"

"What about them?"

"They won't mind you letting in a homeless loser like me?"

"I haven't seen my parents since I was like 10," Changbin spoke out casually as if it was a minor bother and not a tragic upbringing.

"Oh…" Jeongin trailed off, still forcing his smile.

"So what's your story?" Changbin spoke out, opening the grand front door. The lavish white door seemed to have some weight. Changbin showed visible sign of effort pulling open the door with a clenched jaw, a vein slightly protruded from his neck and he let out a soft grunt.

"Huh?"

"Why do you keep smiling?"

"It's all I know how to do," Jeongin said with a smile still plastered on his face.

Changbin turned to look at him without saying another word. His sharp eyes seemed to pierce through Jeongin and analyze every single fragment of his body and soul. He then walked in without another word.

"Welcome home, lord Changbin," one of his butlers, Jeongin presumed greeted him. The bowed politely but didn't spare the disgusted glare he sent Jeongin's way.

"Ew, stop calling me that," Changbin, now that Jeongin finally learned his name, grimaced. Changbin gestured Jeongin to follow.

"Wait, lord Changbin! You're absolutely soaked," the butler tried to reach forward for Changbin.

"Just drop my clothes off downstairs and give him some of my clothes also," Changbin waved it off and turned to Jeongin. "Come. Follow me."

Jeongin followed closely behind smiling at the disgusted butler. The staircase Changbin led Jeongin down wasn't as marvelous as the rest of the house. It was made of wood and in somewhat disrepair. The old wood creaked and moaned after every step. Another noticeable factor was how dark it was. Not a single light was on.

"Where are we going?" Jeongin whispered out.

Changbin didn't respond. Jeongin couldn't see what he was doing, but he definitely heard the sound of metal creaking as a switch was flipped. The sound of electricity humming cut through the silence and not before long bright LED lights came on and illuminated the room. Jeongin's eyes widened at the rather large firing range before him.

Changbin turned to him with a bright smile on his face. This sent Jeongin into great confusion since the dark male was mainly calm and collected with a dark stoic expression.

"Have fun," the elder smiled.

Jeongin analyzed the bolt action sniper rifle within his hands and inspected every nook and cranny. It was a bit heavy, but that wasn't too surprising. The thing was literally made for power.

Changbin eagerly set up the paper targets for Jeongin. Even though his expression doesn't show it, Jeongin could see every body movement. He noticed how he had a slight skip to his step. He noticed how he expertly clip up the sheet. The fluidity noted how often he used the range, but the hint of haste showed excitement as if he was a child excited to show their parent something they've done.

Jeongin couldn't help but smile genuinely rather than his usual plastic smile. He would never bring it up, he wasn't the type to and judging by Changbin's aesthetic, he wouldn't want it to be brought up to light either.

Jeongin let out a loud yelp once pulling the trigger. The shot cracked through the air and the large secluded firing range seemed to make it boom in his ears. The vibrations were enough to be felt throughout his body. The gun recoiled upward and back right into Jeongin's shoulder. He was certain that it was going to bruise.

"Niiiice," Changbin laughed out impressed, clapping his hands. 

Jeongin looked back at his target. A singular bullet in between the eyes.

"Lucky shot or crack shot?" Changbin smirked with an eyebrow perking up.

Jeongin's hammering heart from the adrenaline rush swelled with pride. A challenge. Jeongin couldn't help but feel to do better for the elder.

Jeongin swallowed the lump in his throat and readied another shot. He held up the weapon with steady hands and lined up his eye with the gun's scope. He let out a shaky exhale to calm his racing heart as he took aim and pulled the trigger.

Something clicked within Jeongin, it almost seemed as if everything slowed down around Jeongin. His newfound feeling of adrenaline while holding the sniper rifle was exhilarating and he wanted more.

"Did- Did you even hit it?" Changbin breathed out, leaning over the counter. His eyes were squinted trying to see the second bullet hole. Changbin flipped a switch that was in the specific lane they were in. It emitted a loud buzzer as the hanging target was brought closer to the window via some sort of automatic pulley system. Pulling the paper off the clips, he held it up before them. 

"Holy. Shit," Changbin gasped out and looked up to the younger with wide eyes. "You did not just thread your second shot through the hole your first shot made."

Rather than a perfect circle, Jeongin could see a slight curve extending past the perfect circle. Jeongin puffed out his cheeks and looked at the elder with wide expecting eyes.

"Do it again," Changbin clipped back on the paper target and sent it back.

And so he did. The third shot. The fourth. The fifth. The whole clip. It all threaded the hole of the first shot with extreme accuracy. Each bullet just barely nicked the edge of the hole of the first shot.

"So, you've never used this gun before?" Changbin asked in awe.

"I have not," Jeongin smiled.

"Yea, this says otherwise," Changbin slaps the front of the paper target for emphasis.

Jeongin let out a light chuckle. His smile wavered a bit.

"What is it?" Changbin asked, setting down the paper target.

"I need to get going. It's getting late," Jeongin smiled, bowing lightly.

Changbin didn't respond, but rather looked at him intently.

"What?" Jeongin felt uncomfortable under his calculative gaze.

"You don't have anywhere to go," Changbin crossed his arms.

"I'll figure it ou-"

"No." Changbin snapped.

"No?" Jeongin questioned.

"Just stay with me."

"Wha-"

"Your company makes life a little easier to live," Changbin confessed.

Jeongin gasped.

"Thank you," Jeongin whispered out.

"Oh yea it's all go-"

"For being my friend," Jeongin teared up as he gave out a clean genuine smile. 

~

By the time you both got back, the moon was past its peak. A couple more hours it would fade and disappear behind the horizon and the morning light will peak through and pierce the dark night sky.

This was it. Changbin and you stood before the closed door of Stray Kids' hideout. This was your mission.

You and Changbin locked eyes in a silent mutual understanding. You both nodded to each other. Changbin moved forward and grabbed ahold of the metal door. With brute force, he forced it open. The metal grinded on the dirt and pebbles underneath as the metal creaked and moaned, echoing throughout the quiet base. You both stepped forward, closing the door behind you. The moonlit room now faded to darkness once more.

It was now or never.

Eliminate the Desert Fox.

At any costs.

As you both approached the heart of the base, you split off: you heading in the direction of the smaller warehouse and Changbin straight to the long dormitory hallway.

You carefully peeked into the smaller warehouse. Your eyes strained and squinted to glance around the dark warehouse being wary of whether or not the Desert Fox is in there. Once you deemed it was safe, you carefully headed in towards the corner where you last saw the laptop. This time, it was on a crate. You carefully lifted up the top, bracing yourself for the information you're about to see. Chan was a secretive person. He only gives Stray Kids information that he deemed was absolutely necessary. 

"Oh my god," you breathed out, seeing the somewhat serious profile pics of Changbin and you. Judging from the blue background and the light grid with several white lines, you quickly figured out it was a geographic map with two red dots pinging.

Changbin and you were being watched. Not only that, it tracked your exact location with a live ping. You quickly pulled up the blueprint map of Stray Kids' entire base and you saw Changbin's live ping going down the hallway.

You had so much power at your fingertips, but you had to be careful. You're treading into dangerous waters. In this world, knowledge is absolute power and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It was a miracle how Chan isn't corrupt yet… or is he?

You let out a loud exhale. In and out. Just in and out. Find out what you need to know, nothing more.

Is Yang Jeongin the Desert Fox?

After typing in a few keys and codes, you are met face to face with Jeongin's smiling face. The still image of his visage smiling at you without a care in the world. You clicked on his face and suddenly several popups appeared on the screen: medical history, every mission he performed under Stray Kids, his training time, the weapons he's traded, the people he's killed, his life before he joined, and many more. It was all extremely detailed, nothing was left out. You fully understood what it truly meant by knowledge was power. Any single file from this is enough for one to be executed by the powers of the "inside" or rather be erased from existence. Your body would disappear and any physical and digital signature will be erased.

You decided to follow your gut. Even though Jeongin was potentially your enemy, he still had a right to privacy. Here in the "outside", death is a more lenient punishment than virtually erased from existence. Lives deserved to be remembered, no matter good or bad.

A file caught your eye, the briefing of the day Jeongin joined Stray Kids. Imagine the information you could gather from this part of time. No one ever joins a gang or mafia out of free will due to all the lies the "inside" fed to the people. It was always out of desperation. In acts of desperation, one's true nature is revealed.

~

"Changbin!" Chan called out to the weapon's dealer. "We need to go! NOW!"

Loud thudding could be heard. Loud, thunderous footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the dark hallways of their campus' basements. 

"Open this door!" the barricaded door was struggling under the brute force.

"Window!" Jisung called out, throwing a chair through the glass, shattering it entirely. Jisung didn't hesitate and hopped straight out with Changbin following shortly after.

"We need to get out of these walls. Now. We'll get the others later," Chan pressed.

"We don't have everyone hammered out yet. We still don't know if Seungmin or Woojin hyung agreed-"

"We need to go now, or they won't ever get a chance to agree."

A wave of horror went through Changbin. They came for him now when he was at university, what if they were looking for him at his house.

Jeongin.

"I'll meet you there," Changbin pressed on in panic and wide eyes.

"You're insane," Jisung brought up.

"Aren't we all?" Changbin breathed out, bolting the opposite direction, ducking under open fire.

"CHANGBIN!" Chan called out, but he was left on deaf ears.

Changbin didn't stop. He just kept sprinting and pushing forward. He panted panted heavily, his lungs burned and his legs were cramping up, but he couldn't stop. Not now. Not ever. Not when Jeongin was in danger.

He arrived back home in his lavish mansion to see his front gate bent and forced open. The right one was discarded on the cold dark ground. The lights were on in his house and he could hear faint gunfire coming from within.

"Shit… Jeongin!" Changbin cursed to himself, pulling out the assault rifle he had hidden under his jacket strapped on his back.

Even the front door was forced open, chips of wood littered the front entrance and mud and dirt were trailed in, staining the marbled floor. Changbin quickly bolted up the center spiral staircase to his room. Changbin quickly kicked down the door to his bedroom in which the lock was shot out. He quickly readied his weapon, aiming down sights, prepared to gun down whoever stood in his way only to be met with the end of the barrel of Jeongin's sniper rifle.

"Jeongin? You're ok," Changbin sighed in relief. He looked around the room and saw many bodies of the men dressed in white, the people sent to disposed of him and the rest of 3RACHA.

Changbin met eyes with Jeongin sharp gaze and notice how he hadn't brought down his sniper rifle. 

"W-wait! Jeongin! It's me, it's your hyun-"

"Get down!" Jeongin snapped.

Changbin ducked and Jeongin quickly headshotted the man in white behind him. Jeongin pulled the slide, a loud clicking noise rang through the air as the used bullet shell popped out and clinked on the floor. The second man began firing at Jeongin, whiffing his shots and Jeongin quickly disposed of him with a headshot.

"I don't know what's going on," Jeongin said as a matter of fact.

"I-" Changbin started.

"But... they were trying to kill you. That's all I needed to know," Jeongin spoke out with determination. For once in his time knowing Jeongin, he's never seen such a dark look on his face. Jeongin's eyes were dark and sharp with murderous intent. Jeongin was willing to kill for Changbin.

"Jeongin-"

"I'm not losing the only friend I've ever had."

~

You let out a shaky gasp. You never knew Changbin and Jeongin had such a history. Something wasn't right. Something didn't  _ feel  _ right. If Jeongin were the Desert Fox, why would he betray Stray Kids? Why would he betray Changbin? He joined just to protect Changbin. 

"Oh shit…" you cursed out, noticing something on the security feed. 

_ Jeongin was seen on a security camera installed on Hyunjin's computer around the time you were at the underground settlement. _

~

"You're up early," Changbin frowned, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorway. Changbin shook his head at the younger currently destroying his room.

"Oh, hyung. You're awake too," Jeongin stated casually. "I didn't see you in Hyunjin's room when I woke up. I thought you retired back to your room."

"You think you're being slick?" Changbin growled out.

"I'm mad." Jeongin grumbled. "I can't find my grapple hook. When I came back after returning the oxygen tank to Hyunjin hyung's room. I came back and it wasn't here. Gone. Snatched."

"Stop playing Jeongin. I know why you're awake," Changbin snapped and brought up a wooden bo staff within his hands.

"What?" Jeongin turned to look at Changbin with furrowed eyebrows. Jeongin froze upon meeting eyes with Changbin. The elder's eyes were dark with the intent to kill.

"W-wait, hyun-" Jeongin started.

"Or should I say Desert Fox?" Changbin grinded his teeth stomping forward to the younger.

"H-hyung, stop," Jeongin brought up his hands to reach out towards the wooden weapon within the elder's hands.

"You've been playing us all along," Changbin accused.

Jeongin's eyes widen as he gulped. Jeongin stood stiff as the elder came dangerously closer.

"Admit it, Jeongin. You're the Desert Fox," Changbin growled.

Jeongin didn't answer. Instead he opted to try and punch the elder. Changbin easily sidestepped the attack and put Jeongin in a choke hold with the wooden bo staff. Jeongin's hands immediately flew to the staff trying to pull it away from his neck.

"H-hyung… stop…" Jeongin choked out.

All Changbin saw was red. Rage fueled his actions. His grip tightened on the staff as he pulled it towards him, sandwiching the younger's body with his chest. Jeongin struggled against the elder by elbowing Changbin's side, gasping and wheezing for air, but the staff prevented the air through.

"Pl..ease," Jeongin choked out.

"JUST SHUT UP!" Changbin roared. "You traitor. You were the one who killed Jisung!"

A wave of grief splashed throughout Changbin and it only served to fuel the rage within. With a loud animalistic growl and a final burst of strength, Changbin pulled on the staff harshly kneeing Jeongin in the back. The force of the attack caused Jeongin's neck to break through the staff, breaking his neck as well.

Jeongin fell forward into a lifeless slump with his eyes rolled back to his head and his mouth gaping open in a silent scream.

Changbin was panting gripping the two broken halves of the staff within his hands. He glared at the body of Jeongin with utter disgust. No sense of remorse existed within Changbin. He dropped the broken weapon, the wood bounced pathetically on the ground.

From outside, watching in, the Desert Fox watched the murder with wide eyes through the ajar door.

**Mission Failure: I.N | Yang Jeongin was ** **NOT** ** the Desert Fox.**

**[Bearing Update: I.N | Yang Jeongin Status - Killed in Action]**

**[Bearing Update: The Desert Fox knows you’re on him, so he will lay low now...]**

**~ \\\\\ ~ ** ** _Bearing Update_ ** ** ~ /// ~**

  * Kim Woojin : **53**
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan : **60**
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho : **60**
  * Seo Changbin : **60**
  * Hwang Hyunjin : **63**
  * Han | Han Jisung : **[Deceased]**
  * Lee Felix : **55**
  * Kim Seungmin : **60**
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin : **[Deceased]**

The next few chapters will go in depth with the members’ past. Because of your recent decision, the Desert Fox is still at large. He is now wary of your advancements on him and will lie low. Going forward is not an option now, now you have to look in the past. What you’re looking for…  _ motive _ . 

  * Kim Woojin **[Status: AWOL*]**
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan 
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho (Heavy injury)
  * Seo Changbin (Will not be available until **3 **members have gone)
  * Hwang Hyunjin (Heavy Injury // Will not be available until **1 **members have gone)
  * Han | Han Jisung **[Status: Deceased]**
  * Lee Felix (Will not be available until **2 **members have gone)
  * Kim Seungmin
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin **[Status: Deceased]**

*** ** : AWOL = Away on leave, but Woojin will return when called upon. ( **A/N: ** Clarification on WJ's current status. A majority of you voted to keep Woojin in Operation Miroh. This means Woojin is still an active member of SKZ in Operation Miroh. His AWOL status means that he's NOT currently in the SKZ warehouse/base with the other members until he's get voted in as a mission partner. Once Woojin is voted as a mission partner, after the mission, he WILL BE RETURNING back to the base and is AWOL status will be  removed ).


	29. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -LMK if the hyperlinks don't work LMAO-

Silence lingered through the air. Death permeates and pierces through the atmosphere. Despite the darkness lingering through the base, you can feel the darkness ooze out of the dark man before you.

“Chang..._ bin _…,” you breathed out in shock, your voice giving out at the last syllable.

The weapons dealer stood in the room of the youngest, back faced toward you. His shoulders were spread and wide as if he was an alpha predator making himself bigger to establish dominance. 

A figure was splayed out by his feet, lying cold and unmoving.

“Jeongin… Changbin,” you snapped, your voice rising by the second. ”Changbin what, what did you _ do? _ ”

The dark figure turned towards you with dark hooded eyes.

“I-” Changbin’s voice hitched as if he just made a grave mistake, but he strengthened his resolve almost as fast. “I- I did what I had to.”

Changbin turned towards you with the broken wooden weapon within each of his hands.

“Jeong- I.N. was going to betray us,” he forced out as if he was trying to convince himself.

“Why...” you breathe out, your voice no louder than a whisper.

“Y/N… I’m sorry,” Changbin slowly walked towards you, dropping the broken weapon. The wood seemed to fall in slow motion as you can’t tear your gaze from the maknae’s body. You were broken out of your daze feeling Changbin’s soft embrace. His large arms wrapped around your small form delicately as if he would break you if he applied more pressure. 

Out of sheer reflex, your small hands connected to his broad chest pushing him away from you. Your wide eyes were glued to the dark ground

“Y/N...” his face contorted into one of pain after your sudden action. “Y/N look at me.”

“_ I- _” your voice gave up on you. “I can’t. When I look at you, all I can see is death.”

“Y/-”

“_ Don’t, _” you choked out, holding in your tears and shaking your head. “S-stay away from me.”

Changbin dropped his arms in defeat as he let you go. A sinking feeling weighed within him as he realized the gravity of what he’s done seeing the horror and grief etched across your face. He cowered and collapsed into himself as his form shrunk seeing you run away deep within the darkness of the hallways. His knees buckled beneath him as he slowly lowered himself onto his friend’s bed burying his face into his hands.

  
  


~

Your gasps and pants are all that could be heard through the base. Your footsteps seemed to echo throughout the dark hallways. Your eyes were screwed shut, tears threatening to spill if you would crack them open one bit. The air felt heavy. Everything felt heavy. Death. Your legs. Your body. Your heart. It felt as if an elephant had a foot planted on your chest, steadily applying pressure over time until it felt overwhelming.

“...my...” a faint voice echoed within your ear. “Dummy!”

A gasp was wretched out of you as a firm grip on your arm halted your blinded sprint to a stop. The sudden stop caused you to fall backward ungracefully on your bottom. 

_ Let me go. _

You sniffled and sob. Your words latched into your throat.

_ Let me go. I need to get out. _

Your nails claw at the hand gripping you.

“DUMMY!” His earnest voice, filled with worry and confusion snapped you out of your daze.

“Min- Minnie,” you breathed out, broken and choppy. 

“It’s ok. It’s ok.” He soothed. “I’m here.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, you pushed him off. His face hardened as a result. 

“Why are you awake?” you snapped, almost accusingly. A stern accusing finger was targeted towards him

“Why are _ you _awake?” Seungmin replied in his normally sarcastic fashion, seemingly blissfully ignorant of the situation with a toothy smirk decorating his face. Upon seeing the scowl on your face that was progressively becoming more cynical and untrusting, slowly wiped away his smirk. “I was awake because you were gone.”

The answer was unexpected. Kim Seungmin himself was-- _ is _unexpected. He could be compared to a dud bomb that’s been dug up. You never know if it was just a deceased bomb or it will blow. Seungmin had his moments of genuine care, but he also had his moments of deceit and distaste. You can speak from experience from your school days within the walls. The very walls you both had escaped from. Like a dud bomb, your eyes narrowed towards the man before you, wary of the implications of his answer. 

Seungmin let out a soft sigh and his shoulders slump down in defeat, a hand brought up to rub at the nape of his neck. 

“I was worried about you. When I went to go check up on you in Hyunjin’s medical room, you were gone and it was just Jeongin putting back the oxygen tank. _ Your _oxygen tank,” Seungmin emphasized the last sentence with a pained sigh. “I was looking for you. I went room to room, even the warehouses, to see what was missing. I was worried you would go out there and hurt yourself-”

“Stop,” you snapped. Your voice was stern. The name of the recently deceased-- no, _ murdered _youngest was still a stab towards your already unsteady heart.

“I’m serious-” Seungmin tried to interject.

“So am I,” Seungmin’s mouth gaped at a loss of words towards your response. “Don’t look for me.”

You pushed past him not sparing him the luxury of a response.

Where you were going to go and what you were doing to do. You didn’t know. All you know is that you had to get out. Out there is better than being near certain danger, knowing the Desert Fox is one of Stray Kids. While his end goal is unknown, you know it can not be good. With just your custom made suppressed gun, your trusty black stainless steel blade tucked into your hoodie and Jisung’s claws decorating your fingers, you step out into the dark wilderness.

You would find the Desert Fox, and you swore to take him down. However, he’s too close to home. So, who’s the furthest from home?

Kim Woojin.

You haven’t seen or heard from him since he left. Even if he won’t come back, even if he is unable to help. You just know what you say to him will forever stay unspoken, because that’s who he is as a person.

Even if you don’t find him, he would be your hope to keep going. The moon shone bright up above. The iridescent light that once gave such a serene feeling of peace now bore down on you like a searchlight looking for stragglers to gun down. The silence weighed down on you. You almost wished you would hear just anything other than the rustling of leaves and your boots crunching on the gravel and dirt beneath you.

“You know I call you ‘Dummy’ all the time, but I didn’t think you actually live up to your name,” Seungmin’s voice pierces through the silence.

Your eyes slowly open in disbelief, but you didn’t want to face him. Slowly you reach within your hoodie as to not alert the demolitionist behind you.

“I told you not to find me.”

“Correction. You said not to look for you. I didn’t look for you, I followed you,” Seungmin stated with a hint of sarcasm. You can hear his footsteps come closer to you. 

You immediately whipped around drawing your blade pointing it to his neck. Seungmin gazed at you with slightly hooded eyes, head slightly thrown back keeping millimeter distance from his neck and the tip of your blade. Despite that, his posture was casual as his front hands were stuffed into his jean pockets. 

“Don’t,” you growled out.

“Y/N,” he spoke out calmly, reaching up with a thumb and a finger gripping the blade and bringing it down.

The tone of his voice was soft and calming. You can’t help but lower your guard, almost feeling safe within the vicinity of your friend. He approached you slowly with an empathetic look on his face. He softly leaned forward, his forehead leaning against yours. The tips of your noses rub gently against each other.

**~What do you want to do?~**

[ _ Push him away _ ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/60759904)

[ _ Kiss him _ ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/60759979)

[ _ Accuse him _ ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/60760069)

You took a step back, putting some distance between you. Seungmin had a worried gaze over you as he awaited patiently for your response.

This was it. It was now or never.

You let out a shaky exhale. You didn’t know what to do with your hands. One had your knife in a death grip, the other fiddling with the hem of your hoodie. Your bottom lip was captured between your teeth. Any more pressure and your teeth would tear through the soft flesh. Your heart was hammering in your chest, but you can’t help but have the inkling that something was wrong. Something didn’t add up.

Or…

Something _ did _add up.

“Jeongin’s dead,” you said quickly. Your thought escaped you momentarily.

Other than Seungmin’s eyes widening slightly, there was no change in his expression.

No.

Something most definitely _ did _add up as you stared intently at Seungmin.

The Desert Fox.

What did you know about him?

_ The Desert Fox is in Stray Kids. _(Ch13)

_ The Desert Fox is a master manipulator. _(Ch5)

_ The Desert Fox is connected to the bombing incident. _(Ch9)

_ The Desert Fox is connected to the incident in Paradise. _(Ch6-8)

_ The Desert Fox is watching over you and Stray Kids (Ch 3,5,15) _

_ The Desert Fox is close to Lee Felix. _(Ch13)

_ The Desert Fox is close to I.N | Yang Jeongin. _(Ch14)

_ The Desert Fox is affiliated with Stray Kids’ weapons. _(Ch13)

_ The Desert Fox is affiliated with Stray Kids’ ordnance. _(Ch14)

“_ You, _” your voice was breathy in disbelief as the realization settled in and all the pieces fell together.

** _~Bearing Update~_ **

**Kim Seungmin ** ** _is _ ** **the Desert Fox.**

~ /// ~ ** _Bearing Update _ ** _ ~ /// ~ _

  * _Kim Woojin : **53**_
  * Bang Chan | Bang Christopher Chan : **60**
  * Lee Know | Lee Minho : **60**
  * Seo Changbin : **60**
  * Hwang Hyunjin : **63**
  * Han | Han Jisung : **[Deceased]**
  * Lee Felix : **55**
  * Kim Seungmin : **70**
  * I.N | Yang Jeongin : **[Deceased]**


	30. Chapter 16 1st Scenario Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You push him away]

Your eyes threatened to flutter close due to the close proximity. You could almost feel his warmth radiating off his body as his breath fan over you face.

Despite this, there has been an inkling in the back of your head that this isn’t right. With a gentle placement of your hands on his chest, you push him back. Your eyes stared down at the ground, almost ashamed to face him. Your throat ran dry and your mind was racing, debating whether kissing him was wrong or pushing him away was wrong.

“Dummy,” Seungmin whispered out. His fingers brushed the underside of your chin lifting it up so you can face him. 

“Is that what this was for?” you questioned even though you were almost certain he was gonna kiss you. You didn’t know if you wanted to hear a confirmation. 

“Do you remember what I promised you?” he whispered out.

“That you were going to figure it out...?” you breathed out. He looked at you intently. “Have-Have you figured it out?”

“Partially...” Seungmin pulled away

“I’m… sorry...” you whispered out, almost feeling bad for not understanding your beating heart.

“Don’t,” Seungmin interrupted. “Don’t apologize for your feelings.”

You took your bottom lip between your teeth and nodded hesitantly. 

“Now,” Seungmin stepped forward a bit and rested his hand delicately on your shoulders, rubbing his thumbs in small circles for reassurance. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

[ **[Return back to Chapter 16]** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/60759712)


	31. Chapter 16 2nd Scenario Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You kiss him]

Your eyes met up with his. Eyes wide and glassy. An innocent glaze. As you stared intently into his eyes, it felt as if the world disappeared around you. As if it was just you two during a peaceful time. No worries. No danger. No Desert Fox. You reminisce over your past life. It was merely a couple of years ago, but it felt as if it was a lifetime. It was a familiar warmth. The same warmth you felt leaning your head onto his shoulder, sitting on top of the roof looking out the walls from within.

“Seung...min...?” you choked out. Your voice was weak and breathy.

“Shhh…, ” Seungmin shushed you. His breath mingled with your own. “Don’t speak.”

“B-but-” your words were cut off as the distance closed. His lips pressed lightly against your own as if he was testing the waters. You felt your heart hammering in your chest. It felt many things clicked into place. There was an inkling in the back of your mind attempting to claw their way through, as if it was attempting to warn you. Tell you that this was wrong.

Your thoughts were interrupted when Seungmin pulled back slightly and you opened your eyes that you didn’t know you closed. The inkling was long forgotten when you saw his eyes. And for once, in the amount of time that you knew him. You saw nothing but raw, passionate emotions. Your hands hesitantly came up and wrapped around his neck. Your fingers entwined at the nape of his neck as you pull him closer, connecting your lips with more vigor and passion. You attempted to chase that inkling to know with certainty whether the uneasy feeling settling in your stomach butterflies or the gut feeling that this was all wrong. His hands gently grazed your sides, uncertain of where to place his hands to not cause you any feeling of uncomfortableness. He felt the tension within you and he didn’t want to stir the pot any more.

Seungmin was the one to pull away again.

“Wh-what?” you panted, catching up on the oxygen you didn’t know you were depriving yourself of.

“We shouldn’t do this,” he spoke softly.

You felt your heart sink further into your stomach as your mouth went dry. 

“You’re not in the right mental state,” he clarified, noticing your change in emotion. “You were crying earlier. I don’t want to take advantage of you. I shouldn’t have kissed you in the first place-”

“You said back then. That you were going to figure things out,” you interjected. “Were your feelings one of them?”

His shoulders slump down in defeat. “Yes,” he whispered in a small voice.

“Chan… Chan said long ago that I made life easier to live,” you asked softly. “Is- is that true?”

“Y-yes. My feelings haven’t changed. I still meant what I said. That I was going to figure it out...” Seungmin trailed off, looking off to the side. He brought your hands into his and squeezed them gently. You had a longing gaze and you looked at him expectantly. “Do… do you trust me?”

As if it was second nature, you needn’t put forth much thought. “Yes,” you breathed out. Yes. Yes. A million times yes. You would repeat that if you could.

Seungmin gulped, opening his mouth and shutting it quickly. You noticed his change in demeanor. He wanted to say something, but quickly changed what he had in mind.

“You were crying earlier… Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

[ **[Return to Chapter 16]** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/60759712)


	32. Chapter 16 3rd Scenario Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You accuse him]

With the power vested in you, you shoved the taller male off of you. Said male let out a small ‘ _ aah _ ’ as he fell backwards. His arms instinctively reached behind him to break his fall. Seungmin winces as the various gravel and pebbles embedded themselves within the palms of his hands.

With clenched teeth forcing several exhales through, you raise your blade once more to your fallen friend. You menacingly stepped forward as you stood between one of his legs looking down at him.

“Dummy-” Seungmin tried to interject reaching a hand up to push aside your blade.

“Stop,” you growled, swatting his hand aside with the hilt of your blade. 

“I know why you’re following me,” you growled. “You were watching me.”

Seungmin giggled. It was a light-hearted giggle, but if you knew better, you knew it was a dark chuckle. 

“Well, of course, I was. It wasn’t that obvious?” Seungmin smiled with a smile that could shine almost as brightly as the sun. 

“So it’s true?” your voice was dripping with venom by now. “ _ You’re  _ the traitor?”

His expression fell slightly.

“Wha-what?” he appeared flabbergasted by your response. He sat up a little and brought a knee in, crossing his hands in front. “I meant my feelings for you.”

“What?” Now it was your turn to be at a loss of words.

“Do you remember my promise?”

“That you were going to figure it out…?”

His lips twitched upward ever so slightly as he stood up again. He gently pulled you closer by your shoulders and began rubbing small circles. 

“Yeah… I’ve kinda figured it out.”

“Figure out what exactly?” you breathed out.

Seungmin delicately wrapped his arms around your shoulders and embraced you, nuzzling his chin on your head.

“Minnie?”

Seungmin let out a small huff as he adjusted his head down, his breath fanning against your ears.

He opened his mouth to whisper in your ear.

“Don’t push me away, tell me what’s wrong.”

[ **[Return to Chapter 16]** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/60759712)


	33. Chapter 17

It’s almost surreal. Standing in front of the one that ruined the false peace you’ve been presiding under. As false and dense as it was, Stray Kids were together and had each other’s back. In a world full of blights and dangers, this family you’ve created with Stray Kids has created a safe space within this cruel beautiful world.

Kim Seungmin, the Desert Fox, was standing before you with a small smirk on his face and his hands within his pockets. He was the one who wanted to take down Stray Kids. The same person that had a burning desire to tear down the walls now wanted to tear down this metaphorical wall that Stray Kids had built that separated them from all the others.

_ ‘Do you trust me?’  _

The same words that he has spoken to you only moments ago. A question you would’ve said yes to a million times over to the moon and back. Because it was him, it was Seungmin. Someone who had been by your side countless times. However, you didn’t do the same. 

Where did you go wrong?

When did you go wrong?

How did such a close friend turn to the darkness?

“I meant what I said you know,” the Desert Fox spoke out. “When I asked if you trusted me, I meant it.”

“You… you keep saying that. You ask me if I trusted you, but you were playing me all along!”

“That’s not it!” the Desert Fox interjected. “I made you a promise. I intend to keep it!”

“By destroying all that we have? By destroying Stray Kids? Jisung and Jeongin are dead because of you.”

“Dummy-”

“Yes. That’s how I feel right now. I can’t believe you coerced me to trust you, Desert Fox.”

“Dummy, why are you calling me that? It’s me, Minnie-”

“No,” you growled out. Venom was dripping out of your voice. Seungmin ever so slightly flinched at your animosity almost as if he wasn’t expecting that response. “The Seungmin I knew died a long time ago.”

“I just want to know something,” you started. The Desert Fox looked at you expectantly, waiting for the question. “How long?”

“Ever since my promise to get you out of the walls,” he stated with finality.

So… he was the traitor well before Stray Kids formation. 

"I know what you're thinking. I've known you for too long to understand you and it's not what you think," the Desert Fox interjected, softly yet firmly as if he was trying to make you see him as a friend that you knew and not just an enemy. However, that has long since passed. You had merely been living in an illusion, a farce that you've created to convince yourself that you were safe and that you were protected. A beautiful lie, falling apart at the seams as reality weighed upon this thinly veil as the weight of the deaths of Han Jisung and Yang Jeongin proved too heavy to bear and now, seeing the Desert Fox before you. You had realized Kim Seungmin died long ago.

"You want to know what I think," the Desert Fox met your eye. Maybe, just ever so slightly, you had caught a glimmer of something shining within his dark irises: hope. "You are absolutely correct in your last statement. I've known you too long to understand you."

You couldn't help the smile on your face. It was almost ironic. You're face to face to what is the closest living thing to death. After all, all the Desert Fox did bring was death. Letting out a small chuckle, your lips curled upwards showcasing the whites of your teeth to the man before you.

"So… you… understand?" the Desert Fox tested the waters. His expression lightened up, but he was still wary of your expression.

In fact, you understood nothing at all. You didn't know why you were smiling. Was it the beautiful thrill of feeling the most alive while rapidly approaching your death? Was it you unconsciously yearning for a better time? Where it was just Dummy and Shit-min feeling a moment of intimacy under the night sky atop of a roof just to return to cat and mouse the next day. Or was it hoping to a brighter future? Or… the illusion of a brighter future.

"You want to know what I think," you sneered. You gazed down at your left hand gripping your blade as your right hand comes up to rest over your left elbow. Your thumb played with the soft fabric of your hoodie. "You're here to kill me. Just like that day back then."

The Desert Fox's expression morphed into one of shock. A tidal wave of emotions crashed through his body. Deep down, he tried to be strong. He tried to be strong you, but your words were the bullet that pierced through his chest. He remembered that day back then. That mission where he begged Chan to bring you along. He vividly remembered his mistake, his guilt, his horror seeing it all fall apart, seeing you get taken away by the flames and the explosions, all handcrafted by him. The scream he let out that day was real, raw, and genuine. He had thought, no believed, he had killed you… and he never forgave himself for it. 

"  _ 'Do you trust me?'  _ " you echoed his words with such hollow emotions. "You keep saying that as if it means something. I know you. You're a master manipulator, one who managed to walk the walk and talk the talk and now look at you. The one who's able to blackmail the blackmailer."

He watched you with such a pained expression. One you couldn't help, but scoff internally at as you circled around him. His gaze never leaving you, while yours trailed off to the side, to the ground, every so once in a while.

At this moment in time, no one could tell who was in the wrong. Who was the predator? Who was the prey? Was it the Desert Fox? The traitor from deep within, the weed that threatened to uproot the foundations Stray Kids that built? However, he was the one who felt small under your calculative, accusing gaze, a gaze he had never once seen.

"You were trying to use me," there it was. The bomb that Seungmin didn't want to hear. "You were speaking out lies dripping so sweet, I couldn't help but be allured."

"Stop saying that!" the Desert Fox, gritted his teeth. "I know it looks bad, but this is why I asked if you trusted me. I wanted-- no, I  _ needed _ to know if you did-"

"So you could kill me? And be sure your secret dies with me?!" Your ears bore into him as you saw red from anger, not noticing the steady stream of tears down your face. You raised your knife at him as you raised your voice.

"That's not it!" His voice raised with yours.

"Then why  _ did _ you follow me-"

"SO YOU WOULDN'T GET KILLED!" His pupils were blown. His voice echoed through the night. His smooth gentle voice never sounded so raw and cracked.

"Then why…?" in that moment of weakness, you couldn't help but see a glimmer of your friend and not the enemy before you.

"Do you trust me?"

" _ Don't _ ," your voice raised in pitch as a pained expression flashed across your face. Your voice quivered and cracked saying that one word. 

"I can't change your mind," the Desert Fox slumped his shoulders in defeat. "But promise me you'll remember this."

You hesitated. As confusion wrapped around your brain, you didn't notice his quick approach. By the time you did, your knife was wrenched out of your grip by him painfully twisting your arm. Faster than the eye can see, he turned you facing the opposite direction with your arm twisted behind your back and your neck in a tight chokehold as your knife fell forgotten on the dirt. More pressure was put on your neck, cutting off airflow as you feel your consciousness slipping away.

"Promise me you'll remember this, dummy," he whispered in your ear, his voice soft and broken, yet desperate. 

_ "In this world run by lies, the only enemy is truth. Who is the one hiding the truth? That is who the enemy is." _

Your world then faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the Desert Fox’s been revealed. There are conflicting views describing the Desert Fox in this chapter. Does it change your opinion on him? (:
> 
> I had difficulties writing a morally gray character, I hope I did an okay job.  
Also, the reader changes a bit as well. Did you catch it? ;)
> 
> Also, how many active readers do I have left since I've been dead for 87 years? So I can gauge how soon I can integrate the voting or should I continue the multiple scenarios?  
(If you're an early reader and still stuck around, TYSM <3)
> 
> ^^^ forgot to ask about that the previous chapter, what are your opinions on the multiple scenarios?  
Should I keep up with it or drop it?


	34. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proofread or beta read, we dying like men!!!  
Also I wanted to get this chapter out ASAP :)
> 
> LMK if the hyperlinks don't work.

You didn’t know how long you had been out for. Even in your unconscious state, you could still hear the whispers of his voice ringing in your ears. You could still feel his arms wrapped around you, increasingly applying pressure to your windpipe. You could still feel the lightheadedness from oxygen deprivation.

_ In this world run by lies, the only enemy is truth. Who is the one hiding the truth? That is who the enemy is. _

But what did that _ mean? _

You remained still, acutely aware that you were still lying on the ground, acutely aware of the several small rocks and gravel digging into your exposed flesh. You couldn’t be bothered to move. Your previous anger had faded away to a heavy numbness. You were awake and conscious, stirring softly feeling an uncomfortable chill over your body. However, your eyes remained closed not ready to face the reality that Seungmin was gone.

“...ey,” a distant voice echoed in your ear. “Hey! Are you alright?!” There it was again. This time sounding closer. The voice was filled with worry and fear.

“Y/N!” you feel your body being cradled as a familiar scent filled your nose. “Come _on,_” the voice whimpered out. You felt yourself being shaken as fingers tapped on your cheeks rapidly… but you still don’t have the willpower to open your eyes or speak. You could only let out a small whimper.

“Oh… thank god,” you recognized that Australian accent, Chan. “Come on.” He shook you again lightly. “Come on, open your eyes. Come back to us. You’re ok. I got you.”

“Where… am I?” you mumbled out, still refusing to open your eyes.

“Base,” the leader clarified. “I found you passed out in front of the door.”

You willed yourself to open an eye. Blinking slowly as you wait for the blurriness to fade, revealing Chan’s worried gaze on you and the hints of the morning’s light fill the sky as stars slowly fade.

“What happened? Are you alright? Where’s Seungmin- Ack!”

Hearing his name stoked the fire that was dwindling within you. Hearing that name caused the numbness to go away as you saw red, your hand instantly snapped forward as your slender fingers wrapped around the soft flesh of his neck. Chan instinctively dropped you out of reflex and his hands flew up to wrap around your wrist and attempted to pry your fingers off. The impact to the ground knocked your breath out of you and more importantly, snapped you out of your rage.

“Sorry,” you apologized meekly, your voice quivering. You roll over onto your side in shame, not being able to face your leader. 

Chan’s eyebrows furrowed upwards as his mouth gaped open in shock and confusion. Chan was genuinely concerned and worried, not sparing a second thought at your sudden attack. He reached out a hand but ghosted your shoulder. Afraid to touch you. Afraid of making things worse.

“He’s gone, Chan...” you whispered out.

That’s when Chan realized that something was really wrong. 

What happened next was all just a blur. Chan quickly whisked you away, holding your small body within his strong arms, carrying you to his room. You were greeted by the dim lighting of Chan’s several screens. With a free hand, he pulled back his rolling chair and sat you in it delicately. Chan quickly shed off his jacket and fling it over your shoulders.

“Y/N,” Chan quickly kneeled before you, running his large hands up and down your arms. “What happened?”

You gulped, finding it hard to speak.

“Y/N, please. I need to know what happened. Why is Seu-” Chan froze seeing you visibly wince hearing the start of the demolitionist’s name. “_ \- he _gone?” Chan finished, correcting himself.

“Desert Fox...” you mumbled. 

“The Desert Fox did this?” Chan asked softly despite the brewing storm within him. A loud reaction would make the matter worse and make you retreat back into your shell.

“... his name...” you choked out, tears brimming your eyes as your figure shook. Chan instinctively rubbed your arms again in a meek attempt to comfort you. 

Your confession hit him as if a bag of bricks fell on top of him. The horrifying truth was just dropped like a bomb. Many thoughts ran through his heads, many emotions brewed within him. Like a computer, it was as if Chan had several tabs open within his head as he quickly clicked through them.

“Do you have any evidence? Are you su-” Chan tried to inquire, trying to make sense of everything.

“Confession.”

“I need more than that, Y/N,” Chan spoke softly, terrifyingly calm despite the storm within him. “I know it’s hard, but please. I need to know.”

You inhaled sharply, forcing yourself to gather your wits. 

“That mission with Felix and Changbin revealed all the clues needed to reveal the Desert Fox. He was one of us all along. I saw him,” your gaze hardened staring intently at the ground before you, not quite ready to face Chan just yet. “I saw the Desert Fox. Changbin and I sneaked out last night. We went back, we _ had _to find out more.”

You then proceeded to recount everything. It was sloppy and pieces come out of order. It was untidy, not like a mission report. Just you venting your pure emotions following that painful discovery. Chan turned away. You glanced at him. You saw his stern face. His eyes were dark as his eyebrows were furrowed up, his lips in a prominent frown.

“Chan, I’m so sorry...” you trailed off.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I… I suspected you,” Chan looked hurt by that statement. “You were too powerful, I couldn’t risk it.” You corrected yourself.

Chan sat back, now fully seated on the ground. One leg was propped up as his elbow used his knee as support as his hand covered the lower half of his face. You knew that look. You’ve seen it many times before. He was in deep thought, so deep that you could almost see the cogs turning within.

“Jeongin’s dead,” you blurted out. Your eyes widen to match Chan’s blown out eyes. Your words snapped him out of deep thought. You didn’t know why you blurted it out then and there, but Chan had the right to know.

Not wanting to out Changbin, but the Desert Fox was playing them all. It was technically his fault that Jeongin died, but it was also technically Changbin’s to be quick to assume. You opted for a vague follow-up. “He didn’t deserve it. He… was caught in the middle.”

“Y/N,” his voice was now stern and serious, now finally accepting the situation. “If there’s anything else that bastard has said, you have to tell me.” 

You gulped remembering his pleading voice begging you to promise him something. He begged you to promise him to remember his final words.

“_Promise me you'll remember this, dummy._ _In this world run by lies, the only enemy is truth. Who is the one hiding the truth? That is who the enemy is.”_

** _~ Do you want to tell Chan? ~ _ ** *******

[ Tell him. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61223824)

[ Don’t tell him. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61223872)

You quickly found yourself gazing at the warehouse walls and boxes again, trying to find something, _ anything, _although you don’t necessarily know what. You still had your custom made suppressed pistol on you, but your knife was gone. It was lost within your scuffle with the Desert Fox. You also still had Jisung’s claw securely wrapped around your fingers. You were completely set up for a stealthy approach, not having the means or the skills for a direct assault. You quickly pocketed a few flashbangs and made your way out.

You knew the Desert Fox’s location. You were going to go to him and try to figure out what. Though you understood nothing at all, you knew deep down that he wouldn’t harm you. However, as Chan as always said, even if there was a 99.99% chance for certainty, you cannot dismiss that remaining 0.01% of uncertainty. Improbable? Likely. Impossible. _ Never. _

But it was something you had to risk. This was something much bigger than you or your pathetically holding onto the past, hoping that it will come to be again. Stray Kids was meant for greatness whether you would be there to see it or not. The Desert Fox needs to be dealt with. You set off, ready for the long and arduous journey before you.

It took you hours, but you found the fortress where the Desert Fox was last known. It was built atop a cliff with trees and brush surrounding the stone walls. From your prone position under a bush, you scouted out as much as you could, holding the binoculars to your eyes. The fortress didn’t have a frontal gate at all. Judging by the design of the fortress, it most likely only had the one entryway, the front gate. The open gateway was just watched and guarded by 2 men. The one on the left looked scraggy and dirty, most likely just a jobber. The one on the fight was a much larger man, almost a head taller than the one on the left. He had an aura of power and studying his subtle body movies, he held himself up with pride, guessing that to be his hubris. He was probably a captain of sorts, or any sort of leadership position. You were unsure if he’s the only leader in this fortress though, it was highly improbable. From what you can see from your position, peering into the fortress, you can see several low ranking jobbers and goons as well. There was the main center building with a large brazier stop for emergency smoke signals, a rather archaic, but effective flare. There also seemed to be smaller stone buildings lining the back wall that you assumed to serve as sleeping quarters. Other than several wooden crates and wooden carts littered about, you couldn’t see anything else at all.

You needed more info. It was just you on your own, against an entire fort. Crawling up to a standing position, you circled around the walls making a note of any weak points. You noticed a very prominent crevice hidden behind vines and leaves. That could be a possible discreet entrance. You noticed a massive tree whose trunk and branches extended high about the walls. It was a fairly thick tree as well. Your dark clothing can easily blend in within the leaves. Thanks to your (Jisung’s) claws, you managed to make quick work climbing the tree. At the top, you had a clear view of the entire fortress.

Atop the walls, were patrolling guards, there were also guards patrolling ground level as well. You noticed some rotate out of the smaller stone buildings, most likely swapping shifts. You looked back at the front gate. There were crates of gunpowder on either side, so a frontal assault could be plausible. You could use the gunpowder to your advantage. There were torches on several of the buildings, you could use those to burn down the crates and weaken the enemy in the long run. There were also caged animals throughout the fortress: a couple of wolves and even a bear. They could be useful in causing a distraction. There was also a singular guard, guarding the brazier. With a large gun strapped to his back, you could easily tell he was a sniper. If you could take him out and trap the brazier, you could prevent reinforcements being called. From what you gathered, you also confirmed that there were many in the leadership position. Three in total, in fact. Take care of those three and destroying their plans would be beneficial.

**~ Bearing Update ~**

**You gathered all the information that you could.**

**What do you want to do?**

[ **[Vote here]** ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/189V3P5iLH9fEqawd3umwc948X6xPTCW7CfOosVvqko8/edit)

**There’s important info in that link, so read carefully :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've included a survey link for the voting and info about the voting :)


	35. Chapter 18 1st Scenario Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You tell Chan]

“In this world run by lies, the only enemy is truth. Who is hiding the truth? That is the enemy,” you repeated his last words.

All emotion dropped from Chan’s face hearing your words. All feelings of empathy and concern are now replaced with pure anger. Chan very slowly released his hands off of you as he backed away, slowly standing into a standing position. He gazes at you as if you are the scum on the face of this planet.

“Ch-Chan?” you stuttered, feeling intimidated by your leader. “Wh-what does that mean?”

“Get out,” Chan ordered, his voice low and threatening.

“Wha-”

“I said, GET. OUT!” he enunciated the last two. He gritted his teeth, jaw clenched with a prominent vein sticking out.

“What is your problem, Chan?” you challenged the leader, who completely did a 180 from the caring, considerate being he was just moments ago. 

“You. You are the problem,” Chan snapped.

“I-”

“You were close to Seungmin, I’m not allowing you to be involved in Stray Kids anymore. You could be an accomplice.”

“Chan-” you felt your heart shatter at his accusation. “So you’re kicking me out?” you responded dryly.

Chan didn’t answer. His eyebrows furrowed as you see the cogs turning again. He was considering it, but you didn’t allow him the chance quickly barreling out of his room and loudly slamming the door behind you.

You were on your own again. Even if Chan didn’t want you anymore, you had to find Seungmin and bring him down. You closed the door to the warehouse behind you and quickly ran to the back corner. You internally thanked god seeing Chan’s old laptop still there. Quickly powering the device on, you clicked to Seungmin’s profile. You were hoping to find a live ping on him, but that was just you being ambitious. The Desert Fox was smart, he removed the tracker every Stray Kids member had to wear at all times. Best you can get was a last known location before the ping dropped off the map, it was in an enemy fortress quite a bit away. It might be a trap, but it was the only lead you got. You had to prepare. 

  
  


**~ Bearing Update ~**

**Your relationship with Chan had changed.**

[ **[Return to Chapter 18]** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61223785)


	36. Chapter 18 2nd Scenario Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You don't tell Chan]

Your throat had gone dry wondering if you even should tell Chan. Even though he was the enemy, you couldn’t help, but feel that his desperation sounded genuine.

Chan rubbed your arms slowly snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Please, if there’s anything else. I _ need _to know,” Chan pressed on softly.

You lightly shook your head.

“Y/N, please,” Chan is practically begging. You genuinely felt bad. Chan was being so patient and understanding when he had every right to snap at you and demanding answers and yet, you’re hiding this piece of information from him.

“I just can’t stop thinking about it, why did it have to be him…?” you trailed off. It’s not a complete untruth, but it’s enough of an answer for Chan it seems. He gave your arm a reassuring squeeze and proceeded to stand up and head to his laptop.

“What are you doing?” you whispered out.

“I’m going to find him,” Chan spoke out, tapping away at his laptop.

“Channie...” you breathed out meekly, prompting him to turn and gaze at you with a concerned expression.

“What is it?” 

“You never liked me, did you…?” you trailed off. Your voice was no louder than a whisper.

“What?” Chan was exasperated. “No… No. I mean, yes?” For once in your time knowing him, you see him horribly at a loss for words. You had seen him speechless, yes, but never to the point where he’s struggling to form a coherent thought.

“I mean, I never disliked you. What made you think that?” Chan asked, worriedly. You looked away in shame. “Does it have to do with something Seu- the Desert Fox said?”

You pressed your lips together as you felt shame and embarrassment creep up within you. You were being selfish, wrapped up around the thought of whether or not your leader liked you when there was a much bigger problem at hand.

“I mean, I like you. I’m sorry if I ever gave the impression that I didn’t...” Chan apologize even though he had nothing to apologize for.

A loud beep interrupted you before you could speak. Both your attentions diverted to his screen, the Desert Fox’s last known ping, in an enemy fortress a ways away. 

“I want to go see him,” you spoke out, determined to find out the truth.

“_ No, _” Chan was quick to growl out.

“Wha-” you tried to interject.

“No. This is affecting you too much. As much of a bastard he is, he was still your friend. Nothing can change that,” Chan’s voice softened once more. “Just stay here and stay behind, so you don’t get any more hurt… _ please. _”

You gulped, nodding your head slowly. You stood up and head out of his room.

“Promise me you’ll stay,” his voice stopped you in your tracks momentarily. You didn’t answer, closing the door behind you. Seungmin’s promises outweighed all the others anyways. It always had, it always will be. You had to go see him. You needed to know the truth and head towards the warehouse.

**~ Bearing Update ~**

**Your relationship with Chan changed.**

  
  


[ **[Return to Chapter 18]** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61223785)


	37. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not proofread.  
Was supposed to be up 2 days ago, but I got major writer's block on one of the scenarios. I wanted to get it up ASAP. So apologies for any major mistakes and thank you for your patience :)

**~ /// Bearing Update /// ~ *****

**Ch 18: You decided to tell Bang Chan what Seungmin said.**

**Your relationship has decreased.**

  
  


Slumping down on the branch you were resting on, you let out a loud sigh. You threw your head back with a small off when your head came into contact lightly with the trunk behind you. You momentarily stretch out your legs, letting them dangle off the branch and gently pulling on your hamstrings to loosen them from being tight due to long periods of crouching. You quickly stuffed your binoculars into the front pocket of your hoodie as you gathered your wits.

It was you against an entire fort. You steeled yourself for what was about to come. Deciding it best to stealthily sneak in, you can either clear the jump from the branch to the wall or go through the crevice you’ve passed by earlier. Jumping from the branch risks you falling off the branch or being spotted by the sniper, but it could give you a tactical advantage clearing the fort top down. Carefully you lean forward to crawl down the branch, taking small meticulous steps and listening to sounds of strain to test the strength of the branch. Your heart skipped a beat when the branch moaned loudly and faster than the eye can see, a hand clasped onto your mouth pulling you back into a solid chest. Your fight or flight responses kicked in as you tried to struggle out of the firm grip.

“Cub?” a familiar voice whispered in your ear.

...Woojin? You leaned your head back, leaning against the broad shoulder with his hand still clasped around your mouth, and there he was. His hair was no longer orange, but black, but he was still the same Woojin. He donned a simple white long sleeve turtle neck with a black satchel slung across his chest and black arm covers.

Upon seeing your wide eyes, he retracted your hand.

“Woojin?” you breathed out, unable to believe your eyes.

“What are you doing he- ack!”

Unable to hold back your emotions, you quickly twisted in his grasps and threw your arms around him tightly, burying your face into his familiar scent. After a moment of confusion, he ran his hand down your back.

“Bear, you’re back...” your voice was muffled by his clothes.

“I wouldn’t say I’m _back _ back,” Woojin spoke, gently putting his hands on your shoulders and pushing you away to create some distance and look at you directly in the eyes. “But what did you think you were doing? You’re seriously not considering taking this fort on your own.”

“How-”

“I just happen to walk down that path to see you in a tree overlooking this fort.” He finished. “I know that look when I see it.”

You turned back to the fort, almost now reluctant to go in, but you shook your thoughts away. You had to go in. You had to find him.

“Did Chan make you do this?”

***** ”Chan kicked me out.” **

“He _what? _Wh-” Woojin deadpanned.

“This is for me,” you grumbled, pushing past him, digging your claws into the trunk and sliding down the tree. Woojin’s head cocked in confusion seeing you with Jisung’s claws and your change of expression as he followed you down the tree.

“Hey! Wait!” he whispered-yelled as you lightly jogged to the crevice hidden behind the vines. You pushed aside the vines and slipped in, quickly ducking behind a crate as a guard come by.

The blue sky lit up with hints of red and orange as the sun prepares to retire for the day. The night would be your veil, but for now, you had to be careful. Not long after, Woojin pushed past the vines and through the crevice. You both visibly winced hearing the rustling of the vines. Woojin was much larger than you compared in size, so naturally more vines had to be pushed aside. 

“Huh?” a deep voice rang out. “What was that?”

“Prob just the wind,” a second voice stated, soon after followed with some light footsteps indicating that he walked away. 

“I’m going to go check it out!” the first voice called out.

You looked at Woojin with an eyebrow raised as he quickly crouched down, blending into the tall grass. The darkness inside the walls slowly lit up with the flames of a torch. As soon as he was close enough, you jumped out, striking the man in the face causing him to drop the torch. With a firm grip on the fabric on his shoulders, you pulled him further into the wall and behind the crate. Woojin quickly leaped forward from his position, covering the man’s mouth with his large hand and running a knife through his heart. The guard quickly slumped as his eyes rolled up as he fell lifeless, dying instantly. 

Woojin glared at you with a stern look, you could almost hear him saying, “that was dangerous.” However, you didn’t have time for this. The longer you take, the further Desert Fox is going to get away. You turned away from Woojin’s disappointed gaze as you headed towards the open area the man came from. You didn’t get very far before Woojin grasped your arm tightly and pulled you back.

“Explain,” he growled out. 

Your eyebrow twitched in annoyance until realization hit you. Woojin’s been gone, he’s been out of the loop.

“The Desert Fox is here.”

“You’ve found him? Who is he?” Woojin asked earnestly.

“Seungmin...” that name left a bitter taste in your mouth.

“What?” Woojin sat down on the crate in disbelief. “Kim Seungmin?”

You nodded, looking away, 

“Shit...” Woojin exhaled. “What do we do?” He turned to you with finality, as if that’s all the convincing that he needed.

“Clear this fort, find the Desert Fox.”

Woojin nodded. “Any plans?”

“There are caged animals, I think they would be useful to create a distraction.”

“No, once the animals are dealt with, suspicion will arise and your efforts will be for naught,” Woojin crossed his arms. “Take it slow, one at a time.”

“People will notice other people are missing. Suspicions would arise anyway!” you threw your hands up in frustrations. 

**~ What do you want to do?~**

[ Create a Distraction. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61628155)

[ Take it slow. ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61628227)

“Who are you?” Woojin inquired.

“I am the one who gives answers to those who seek. You are here for answers else you wouldn’t infiltrate an enemy fortress.”

“And who are you? An oracle?” you huffed.

“In a twisted world of lies, I tell what people wish to hear.”

“In a world filled with lies, the enemy is truth. Who is hiding the truth?-”

“That is the enemy,” the woman finished, finally opening her eyes, gazing expectantly at you. The atmosphere of the room dropped dramatically. Woojin noticed glancing between both of you in confusion. 

“Who are you?” you growled out, marching towards the woman raising your claws up into a strike position. Woojin quickly grabbed at your wrist to stop you from attacking.

“Y/N, stop!”

“I am who I said I was. What one is called has no meaning, it is how one acts that define a person.”

“So you’re the enemy, you said the words of the Desert Fox,” you stepped forward, but Woojin held you back.

“That is not what I said. I am the one who speaks what those long to hear.”

“So you speak lies?” Woojin asked.

“You hear my words, but do not understand them.”

You rolled your eyes, letting out an annoyed sigh. You forced yourself out of Woojin’s grip and stomped towards the woman.

“Y/n!”

“Enough riddles, lady,” you grasped her chin tightly, forcing her to look at you. Your claws were digging into her soft flesh, but not enough to pierce.

“I tell people what they _want _to hear. If one hopes for a simplistic happiness of romance, then a simple white lie will suffice. If one wants to hear the truth, know what to ask and I will answer.”

“How do you know the truth?”

“An enigma speaks to me. Truth would be spoken not by me, but through me.”

“So you’re working for the Desert Fox?” Woojin spoke out, reaching out to pry your wrist off of the woman’s neck.

“You speak of Kim Seungmin,” your eyes narrowed at the name. “Again, you merely hear, but do not understand.”

“Then _make _me understand,” you growled.

“Y/N, clear your head. You’re speaking out of anger,” Woojin tried to soothe. 

“Well, do _you _understand what she's saying?” you turned, poking at his chest after every word. Woojin dropped his shoulders in defeat. “That’s what I thought.”

“You speak of the Desert Fox, Kim Seungmin. I do not hear from him. I hear from the enigma.”

“Who?” you threatened, approaching her once more. Woojin pulled you back by the shoulders. 

“The name you bear from your friend suits you,” the woman smirked at you, huffing in amusement. 

“You’re not allowed to call me dummy,” you pointed a claw at her.

“But you are...” your eyebrow quirked in anger. “As the word enigma is understood, that is who I hear from.”

“Wait, so you don’t know?” Woojin asked in disbelief.

“Is that not what I just said?” the woman cocked her head in mock ignorance. “Kim Woojin, you were renowned for your intellect. You’ve nothing much to show for it.”

Woojin’s jaw dropped at the insult. You pushed past Woojin, rubbing your forehead in annoyance.

Defeated and mentally drained, you spoke out. “You said you speak what people wanted to hear. I want the truth.”

“In a world ruled and twisted by lies, the truth is the enigma-”

“ENOUGH!” you bellowed out. Your voice echoed in the small room. “The Desert Fox was here, what did he ask you?”

The woman sighed. “He seeks the same as you. 

The _ enigma _.”

[ **[Vote here]** ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ff30OVph2bjQBHUU2tntN0PRMxFx42tJj6AGjrc5UkU/edit)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Q&A  
1\. What platform do you use to write on? (PC, laptop, phone etc.)  
A: Mainly my laptop, but I use my phone whenever I just a sudden spark of inspiration because I forget all my bright ideas faster than the eye can blink... 
> 
> 2\. What app or website do you use to write and then post on here? (Docs, word, notes etc.)  
A: Google Docs, but I keep a notebook on me at all times to write whenever I can, because I tend to get distracted by the internet on the laptop or my phone...
> 
> 3\. How long did it take you to plan for this story? Did you use an outline for everything or something like a chapter summary?  
A: Since there is the option of choice in the story, planning everything ahead of time is near impossible because it's hard to predict what the readers will choose. The planning I do is very broad with a lot of gaps and those gaps are filled in by the reader votes. So I guess I create a very broad outline. Before the world started dying, I go to a tea place every weekend to edit and add onto the outline depending on how the story goes.
> 
> 4\. Did you plan these routes early on or did you adapt as the audience participated?  
A: I bit of both. For example, I plan out point A and Point B, but everything in between is up to the readers. Like the Desert Fox's identity was preplanned from the very beginning, but I had to adapt along the way to revealing his identity because there was a chance for him to die before his reveal due to the reader votes, so I had to consider those potential roadblocks.


	38. Chapter 19 1st Scenario

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You decided to free the animals]

“I’m going to free the animals. It’s wolves and a bear. These predatory animals will buy us plenty of time. They can hold their own,” you explain. Woojin dropped his arms in defeat and rolled his eyes slightly. “This way we don’t have to kill anybody.”

Woojin crossed his arms, leaning on the wall and gestured to the body behind him.

“Ok, any  _ more  _ people,” you corrected. Woojin raised an eyebrow. “Never mind. I’m going.” 

You stormed out, crouching into a bush. The cages weren’t very far. They surrounded the center building and it was only guarded by one guard.

“I’ll trap the brazier,” Woojin whispered in your ear, patting your shoulder lightly. Woojin stood up momentarily to toss a throwing knife to the sniper, easily dispatching him. He then disappears into the main center building by sliding under the hole in the wall at ground level. 

“Bah,” the guard grumbles, kicking rocks on the floor. He was clearly not interested in guarding beasts. The wolves and bears were growling and snarling at the man, their claws and jaws bite at the wooden constraints as the guard ignores their cries. 

“Easy, prideful beast,” you whispered out, soothing the snarling large wolf as you approached the cage. “I’m going to free you.”

You reach for the pathetic rope tying the wood bars closed. The wolf, seemingly understanding your words and actions, bowed its head down. You released the beast as it rushed out. It glanced at you momentarily before pouncing on the guard.

“What the?! AAH!” the man cried out. That surely would get the attention of all nearby, so you made quick work of all the other cages as the other predatory beasts. You quickly duck into one of the back buildings before you are seen.

As planned, all attention were on the beasts with guards flooding in from all other the fort to contain them.

“Do not kill the beasts!” one of the captains bellowed out. “He will have our heads if they’re harmed!”

Time to get to work, now that the entire fort is distracted. You had to work quickly, you need to find any information about where the Desert Fox has went and what exactly was he planning. You found a lit up room by torchlight that seemed separated and walled off from the rest of the building. You cautiously entered and found a large table against the wall with candlesticks all over the table. There were several papers on the table as well as an open chest with more rolled up papers.

“Jackpot,” you cheered internally to yourself, conveniently finding the gold mine. You quickly rummaged through the papers, trying to find anything connected to the Desert Fox. The papers were mainly just fluff, just useless information regarding internal politics and who gets chosen to be captains of forts. But something caught your eye, some papers were signed by DF. 

_ Leave SKZ be. _

What? What did that mean?

Your thoughts were interrupted by a loud bear roar and men screaming. You didn’t have time, so you shoved as many papers signed by DF as much as possible into any and all of your available pockets. 

“You have a way with animals,” a voice rang through the silence. You whipped out drawing your concealed gun to reveal a woman in rags. Her clothes were held together with simple rope. 

“Who are you?” your finger ghosted over the trigger as you interrogated the woman before you.

“I have the answers you see. You who could speak to animals from wolves… bears” she paused as if to create a dramatic effect. “And even…  _ foxes _ .”

You gritted your teeth. It was obvious she was alluding to the Desert Fox, it’s too convenient to be a coincidence. Not only that, she mentioned bears. She knows Woojin is here also as well as wolves. She also knows that you released the animals.

“Meet me at the brazier when you are ready to talk,” she walked away silently.

You huffed to yourself and quickly grabbed a few more papers hoping it would be enough, but you had a feeling that woman would be more of a help. You peeked your head out the door, to see the guards attempting to rope down the animals. You saw your opportunity and took it, sprinting across the way, keeping your head low. The various crates covered you as you sprinted towards the center building, falling to your legs and keeping your body close to the ground, sliding through the same small hole Woojin went through.

“Ack!” a familiar voice cried out in pain as growling and snarling followed short after.

“Shit! Woojin!” you called out, pistol in hand. You turned the corner to see Woojin pinned by a wolf. Woojin holding the beast back with his hands as the wolf snapped and attempted to chomp on Woojin’s neck. 

You recognized the wolf as the first one you freed, instantly seeing the brilliant light gray almost white pelt.

“Easy there, prideful one,” you tried to call out to the wolf, still having your pistol drawn.

Woojin continued to push back. With a singular burst of strength, he managed to push back the wolf every so slightly, but the wolf was faster and managed to bite Woojin’s arm causing him to cry out in pain. 

“Magnificent one, yield,” your voice was soft yet stern. The wolf paused momentarily, ears perking up turning in your direction. “Run like the wind, prideful one. Run free and let your alpha instincts take over.”

As if it understood your words, it dropped Woojin’s arm, turned and ran off.

“Woojin!” you cried out, running to the male. You gently grasped at his hand, rotating his arm to look at the wound. 

“Just ignore it.”

Woojin huffed, throwing his head back, wincing in pain. “I’ll keep that in mind”

“There was a woman.”

“A woman?”

“She knows of us. She says she will talk here. Did you see her come in?”

“No, I was busy… petting a dog,” Woojin sat up, holding his injured arm. 

Wood creaking broke the silence as light footsteps came from above them. You cocked your head towards the ladder leading up. Woojin nodded in response.

***You’ve gained the Captain’s papers***

[ **[Return to Chapter 19]** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61628083)


	39. Chapter 19 2nd Scenario

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [You decide to take it slow]

You sighed, rubbing your forehead. “You're right. I’m sorry.”

“You’ve nothing to apologize for,” Woojin walked forward to place an encouraging hand on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

“Yeah. Slow and steady. Just like old times, eh?”

“Yeah,” Woojin nodded, pulling out his own pistol from his satchel. “Just like old times.”

You both walked out from within the wall, ducking behind a bush.

“Two men, 12 o’clock,” Woojin informed, quickly slipping into the professional persona he’s been known for. “Take them out, I’ll clear them.”

You steadied your aim, taking out the one on the left. The one on the right recoiled in shock and Woojin charged straight in, putting the man in a chokehold. Woojin put more pressure and dragged him behind a building.

“I’m just going to have a little talk with you,” Woojin spoke calmly. 

“Go fuck yourself,” the man struggled in Woojin’s grip.

“Dirty mouth,” Woojin sneered, tightening his hold when the man struggles. “I don’t want to hurt you if I didn’t have to.”

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” the man growled.

“How bout this?” Woojin smiled sweetly, reaching for his satchel, pulling out a roll of cash. The man visibly gulped when Woojin waved the roll in front of his eyes.

“I just want answers about the Desert Fox.”

“I don’t know anything, I swear,” the man rambled.

“Anything would help,” Woojin whispered, stuffing the roll of cash into the man’s front pocket. Woojin glanced at you and cocked his head towards you, beckoning you to come closer. He handed you a small loose-leaf journal and a pen from his bag. You flipped through it to find an empty page, ready to jot down whatever.

“Listen, I don’t know much. The Desert Fox swung by earlier. The higher-ups were whispering about it, I’ve never actually seen the man. Actually no one has. He gave specific instructions to keep the crevice in the wall clear of guards. That’s where he slips in.”

“Anything else?” Woojin pressed on.

“If you want more, no one is allowed in the brazier. Only DF is. Maybe you can find more.”

“How is he feeding you guys information?”

“You’re going to have to ask the cap’n. That’s all I know, I swear.”

“Thank you… for your service,” Woojin whispered in his ear, slitting his neck with his knife and taking back his roll of cash.

“We learned nothing at all,” you growled.

“But we know where to look next,” Woojin stood up. “I’ll interrogate a captain, best you find the captain’s quarters.”

“Why?”

“People don’t know what the Desert Fox looks like. That means it was never a face to face interaction.”

“That means he had to use paper instructions, electricity isn’t a thing this far from the walls.”

“Exactly,” Woojin agreed. “Now let’s go.”

“Woojin!” Woojin turned to look at you. “We need to do something about your gun.”

Woojin pulled out his pistols to analyze it. 

“No suppressor… unless we wanna go in loud.”

Woojin shook his head, rolling his eyes lightly and putting his pistol back into his satchel.

“In here,” Woojin called out, crawling under a gaping hole in the wall. You followed suit shortly after with Woojin grasping your arm and pulling you up. He brought a finger up to his lips then pointing to a guard guarding the open door and another in the corner. You nodded, pulling out your pistol. You quickly dispatched the one in the corner with a singular shot and Woojin rushed the guard, knocking him in the back of his head and pulling him inside. 

“Let’s talk,” Woojin whispered, sickening sweetly. 

You quickly rummaged through the room, quickly skimming at the papers scattered around. You quickly scribbled out random information, such as safe houses, points of interest, etc. You didn’t have Chan anymore, so you needed all you could get. You rummage through drawers trying to find just  _ anything.  _ A can rolled within the drawer as you pulled it open. You grasped the small tin can. It has specks of red paint and a faded red flame: an oil can. 

“Woojin!” you called you, tossing a can at him.

Woojin finished his kill, wiping his knife on the man’s body and caught the oil can.

Suppressor. You remembered Changbin telling you once that oil cans would do as a suppressor in a pinch. Woojin nodded, screwing it onto his pistol. 

“Basically said the same as the first one. We need to find a captain or that room.”

“Split up?” you whispered. “We go quiet.” 

Woojin nodded, crouch walking out the front door. 

“I need to get that brazier, we’re leaving too many bodies,” you whispered to yourself, shooting a man across the corner. You carefully peeked out the window, seeing Woojin in the distance taking out a much larger man with several other bodies hidden in the tall grass. Looks like he got a captain. You carefully examined your surroundings and the only men left were those on the upper walls, facing the other direction. You quickly crouch walked out of your building towards the center building.

“Talk,” you heard Woojin’s faint voice in the distance.

“I’ll never talk!” the captain yelled out. You winced at his voice. Woojin quickly stabbed his knife into the side of the man’s jaw. 

“Then  _ write, _ ” Woojin threatened, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen placing it in front of the man’s face. You winced a bit at Woojin’s brutality as you walked into the building, closing the door behind you. 

The building was surprisingly… empty. No one was on the lower level, and there was no indication of movement above you. It wasn’t safe to let your guard down, so you kept your pistol in hand as you climbed up the ladder. You jumped a bit once you saw a woman on the upper floor, quickly pointing your gun at her. She was dressed in rags and her clothing looked held together with mere rope. She was kneeling on a rug with her hands clasped before her with her eyes closed. She didn’t appear to be an enemy, just a lowly civilian who lived in the country. There was no reason to kill her… yet and she didn’t appear to notice your presence. Quietly, you stepped onto the wood floor, taking light steps to the other ladder, your eyes never leaving her. 

“Finish your business and return back to me,” reflexively, you pointed your gun at her.

She doesn’t look like an enemy, so you reluctantly moved on. You can get answers after you’ve dealt with the brazier and the sniper. Carefully you headed up the ladder and pushed open the trap door ever so slightly. You see the sniper’s feet, facing the opposite direction. You quickly shot his head and threw the trap door open. You quickly go up to the brazier and trap the signal by hiding a small explosive within the sticks. 

Now, the woman. You jumped down the trap door, landing on the floor below with a light thud. Woojin was already there facing the woman. He handing you a blood-stained paper from the captain he interrogated, you quickly slid it into your (Woojin’s) book.

***You’ve gained Woojin’s notebook***

[ **[Return to Chapter 19]** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20472140/chapters/61628083)


	40. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Ch 19 Bearing Update: 
> 
> You created a distraction  
You’ve gained an unexpected friend  
Kim Woojin: Light Injury
> 
> : Your relationship had decreased ] ***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Descriptions of gore and violence

“What the fuck was that?” you grumbled.

“Don’t let her get to her head,” Woojin led you somewhere with a protective hand on the small of your back. 

The moon was high as if it was watching over you. The bright light illuminated the way for you both. However, it was still dim enough for you to remain hidden. Leaving the fort was fairly easy, it was just a simple manner of going back the way you came in.

“What are you going to do now?” Woojin’s voice cuts through the silence like a knife. What was more unsettling? You didn’t even know. There were no other sounds that night. Just the sounds of nightlife, the soft breeze in the leaves, and the crunching of gravel underneath your feet. But it was the overarching silence, the silence of uncertainty, and possible impending doom. Was this all worth it? All this pain and suffering? I guess the stories held some truths. Nothing pleasurable comes out of it, only pain. Was the solidarity of a close-knit of friends doing whatever to survive outweigh the pain?

“Cub?” Woojin’s voice cuts through your thoughts. The nickname alleviates the situation a bit, makes it feel a little less real and back to those pleasurable days. “Y/n?”

“ _ Don’t,”  _ your voice cracked. You let out a shaky exhale. “Can you still call me cub?” Your voice was small, weak, and frail. “Makes me feel like everything is going to be ok...”

Even though, nothing is going to be ok. Nothing from this point onward will be ok, no matter how it ends. Nothing will ever justify Jisung and Jeongin’s death. Nothing will ever justify what  _ he’d  _ done.

Woojin nods in understanding and you let out a sigh of relief that you didn’t know you were holding at the fact that Woojin didn’t dare question it.

“This way,” Woojin walks past you, leading you down a fading trail towards a rock face.

“Where are we going?” you asked for no answer.

Woojin pressed against the rock, sliding his larger body in between, quickly disappearing into the rock. Cocking your head a bit, you stuck your head in. These larger two rocks covered the entrance to a very small cave. It was soon lit up by Woojin lighting a torch in the back. There was a makeshift table with a large piece of bark on two stones as support.

“Were you here the entire time, bear?” you asked, making sure to cover the entrance with the handing shrubbery and vines.

“For now. I move from place to place,” Woojin stated, setting his bag down on the table. He turned to you momentarily to jerk his head, gesturing for you to come to the table. You wordlessly obeyed and emptied your pockets of all the papers you have gathered. Your eyes caught a glimpse of a brilliant red contrasting white. Woojin’s white sleeve was torn revealing the pierced and damaged skin under it as red steadily flowed out, drying to a coppery brown. 

“How’s your arm?” you reached for it, only for Woojin to jerk his arm away with a soft hiss.

“Bear?”

“It’s fine,” Woojin snapped, sounding harsher than he’d intended. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to-”

“It’s  _ fine, _ ” Woojin slammed his hands down and jerked his head to glare at you incredulously. It was apparent at that moment in time, that Woojin was upset that you didn’t listen to his advice and he got injured for it.

“Just...” Woojin spoke out calmly, recollecting himself from the backlash. “Let’s find out where the Desert Fox is.”

You nodded numbly, feeling the growing anxiety of uselessness crawling back up through you. Why couldn’t you just  _ listen  _ for once instead of going with your gut? Woojin’s fingers brushed through the papers, quickly skimming through it. Woojin’s irrefutable past reputation of being a well-read and studious student is shown at this very moment, with his eyes fluttering back and forth, skimming each document’s contents.

“Here, look at this,” Woojin handed you a piece of paper.

Your eyes furrowed reading the contents. It was most definitely Seungmin’s handwriting, signed by D.F. It was short and simple, but the content was clear. It was instructions to avoid District 9 at all costs or else.

What did he mean by or else? Wouldn’t he want the enemies to attack District 9? Doing so would severely cripple Stray Kids.

Woojin handed you another. You glanced at the messy scribbles on the parchment, but it was definitely coordinates and a low quality drawn map. However, you never forgot that place. Not now, not in a million years, not ever. It detailed  _ that  _ mission, that mission you took with Seungmin. The one where it went south and you got caught in the explosions. Seungmin tried to kill you, it was the only explanation. He was the one who set up the explosives.

As much as you wanted to believe that, that Seungmin was indeed the enemy, something didn’t  _ feel  _ right, and judging from past experiences, going with your gut had a terrible streak with Woojin’s current injury as a reminder. However, you can’t help but wonder. At first, it seemed that the Desert Fox set it all up which wasn’t entirely a lie. It was set up, but not in the way you were expecting. It was sheer coincidence. The instructions were for that cursed man to remain there as it was the meetup point for him to meet up with the Desert Fox.

“Notice it also?” Woojin broke you out of your thoughts.

“I don’t understand… I don’t know if I  _ want  _ to understand.”

“Seungmin played his hand well,” Woojin inputted.

Chan wanted you both to erase evidence. Seungmin’s reaction to you was genuine. It had to be, something like that can’t be faked. Seungmin didn’t  _ want _ you to get caught up in the explosion.

“No!” you exclaimed. Woojin kept a sharp gaze on you. “No no no no no.” You were shaking your head not wanting to believe what you were thinking.

“Seungmin wanted that man dead, not only was he going to erase evidence of Stray Kids’ involvement, he would erase all evidence of that man as well,” Woojin’s statement coincided with your thoughts.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would he set it up just to kill that man?”

“The same reason why anyone else would,” Woojin pieced together.

Betrayal.

And the Desert Fox wanted him  _ gone.  _ But how did that man betray him?

“Do you have anything else?” you changed the topic, not wanting to dwell on it for too long since you were missing a lot of information. 

“Yeah,” Woojin breathed out. Woojin slid a paper over the rough surface of the bark towards you. “This is regarding that town.”

“The town with the bakery?”

Woojin nodded. 

“Wait,” you shook your head incredulously. “It’s an evacuation order.”

“Paradise wasn’t a slave trade,” Woojin picked out another sheet. “It’s just as it sounds.”

That city was going to get purged. The inside was going to erase that city out of the face of the map. The Desert Fox organized the entire paradise operation.

“But that doesn’t explain why the guards were executing the people there.”

“That bothers me also...”

“Wait, what about that?” you pulled out a sheet sticking out from the stack.

“This leads to a location that shouldn’t exist.”

“No. That’s where you’re wrong. There’s an underground settlement there. I was there with Changbin and Felix.” 

“That’s impossible,” Woojin ran his hand through his hair. “It’s just a mountain, no caves, no anything.”

“It’s man-made,” you clarified. “Wait. What the Desert Fox wrote. He knew of their defection from him, but he didn’t know why.”

“Did he kill them?” Woojin asked, his voice dropping an octave lower. You can see the fire in his eyes, Woojin would kill the Desert Fox with his own two hands if you confirmed. 

“The entire place got poison gassed.”

Woojin’s shoulders dropped as he rubbed his forehead in disbelief. 

“I don’t want to believe it.”

“He’s a killer,” Woojin spoke out blatantly.

“No not that, my gut.”

“What about it?”

“Have you noticed that all his instructions were short.”

“Yeah, short and to the point. So what?” Woojin slid his hands on the table, leaning forward putting his weight on his hands.

“Remember when Seungmin told the other members wherever he wanted something done?”

Woojin stayed silent to process your words, not wanting to speak unless he was sure.

“Seungmin nagged a lot. He nagged, he was snappy, but he refused to do it himself.”

“He always told  _ how _ to do it,” Woojin breathed out as if he was suddenly enlightened.

“But he hasn’t done that in any of these instructions.”

“No,” Woojin was quick to shut down your assumptions. “That’s too far fetched.”

“But, bear, listen. What if he didn’t know about how his instructions were done, but only knew that it was done. What if he found out and didn’t approve?”

Woojin balled up his fists. You got him. That answered some things, but not everything. 

“It’s still too far fetched. That’s impossible.”

“If there was a 99.99% chance,”

“You can’t disregard the 0.01%,” Woojin finished the words Chan has imprinted in all your brains. As much as you want to rely on the 99.99%, maybe, just maybe, a small part of you wants to believe that 0.01% that he wasn’t the Desert Fox, but just Kim Seungmin. Not the enemy, but a friend, family.

“Woojin, please,” you gripped his arm lightly. He shrugged you off, not wanting to believe what you were saying.

“Woo-”

“Let’s take a step back,” Woojin snapped. “We need to find where he went.”

“O-ok.”

“I’ve noticed something, a pattern,” Woojin started, grabbing the papers in your hold and setting them on the table. 

“A pattern.”

“All of these places are connected to both Stray Kids and Desert Fox in some way.”

“Yeah, no shit. Seungmin IS. I mean,  _ was _ a Stray Kid,” you quickly corrected yourself.

“Let’s assume that 0.01%. The Desert Fox and Stray Kid’s Kim Seungmin are kept separated...”

“DF would know the plan of action, but not Kim Seungmin,” you thought back to your time in the underground settlement. Something tugged at your memory. “The people didn’t know who the Desert Fox was, they just know his will-”

“But not his way,” Woojin finished.

You ran your fingers through your hair and gripped it tightly at the base, feeling the painful pull on your scratch. Nothing made sense. If that was the case, Seungmin wouldn’t know what is going on because he won’t be able to leave the base without Chan catching him because of the tracker. The tracker each Stray Kids member not only pings location but monitors health as well. If the tracker were to be taken off, Hyunjin would notice something being off. It was impossible for Seungmin to  _ be  _ there. 

“It all doesn’t make sense,” you groaned, pacing back and forth. 

“Look at this,” Woojin pulled a piece of paper out of his bag, handing it to you.

“Where did you get this?”

“It was on the floor in the center building… you know, before the wolf took a chunk out of my arm,” you turned away in shame. 

The paper wasn’t an instruction from the Desert Fox, but it is most definitely Seungmin’s handwriting. It was addressed to you, but it felt like it wasn’t meant  _ for  _ you. It was a page to voice his thoughts. You felt a bit scandalous, it had the same energy of reading Seungmin’s personal diary.

“It’s about the hospital,” Woojin spoke out. “The one where we found you at.”

“Stray Kids was there...” you started.

“But not the Desert Fox,” Woojin finished. 

You’ve found him. That’s where he is, there’s no doubt about it.

~

“Are you ready for this?” Woojin asked.

You didn’t answer, clutching your pistol in your right hand. You visibly shook where you stand, letting out a shaky exhale.

“Cub?” Woojin rubbed your back softly. “It’s ok. You can wait here, I’ll go in.”

“No.. no...” you breathed out. “I can do this. I  _ have _ to.”

“Ok… okay,” Woojin nodded in understanding, pulling out his own pistol. “It’s going to be hard.”

“I know… just like everything we do.” You’ve gathered your wits and walked in straight through the front double doors.

Everything you do is not easy. Life in this mafia in the cruel bitch of a world was the peak of “not easy.” It was always a battle of morales. It was a battle of what you believe is right and what you can stomach. You thought you’ve seen it all by now, but nothing you’ve experienced has compared to what greeted you the second you stormed through those doors.

You retched, feeling the bile and the contents of your stomach rushing up your esophagus. Woojin was quick to cover your eyes and pull you to the side, blocking your view. You doubled forward dry heaving the bile in your throat.

“Don’t look. Don’t look,” Woojin ordered, his large hand still covering your eyes.

Blood flooded through the hallway. The floor tiles were now unrecognizable and just covered in a thick sheen of red and brown. Bodies were hung and staked on the walls like decoration with stakes through their arms, some through their necks. Some of the corpses were somewhat familiar also, burnt to a crisp, with skin and clothes blackened and charred to the point of being FUBAR’d. There were also dismembered limbs littering the floor.

“What the…  _ fuck? _ ” Woojin grimaced. Woojin wasn’t one to swear, it went up against the image of clean professionalism he’d always put up. 

“Did… Did he?” you retched again, not able to finish your question.

A loud silence followed. The lack of an answer from Woojin spoke volumes. You pried Woojin’s fingers away from your eyes to look at the gruesome sight in front of you, feeling your stomach churn inside of you.

“Are you able to do this?” Woojin asked. 

“Yeah,” you swallowed the lump in your throat. “We came this far. It’s too late to go back.”

Woojin nodded walking ahead of you, taking care to step over all the dismembered limbs. You followed close behind, but can’t help but look at all the bodies. There was a disgusting familiarity to it all.

“Are you ok to split up?” Woojin asked, holding his pistol up in a ready position.

“Y-yeah,” you breathed out. Woojin nodded and turned in the hallway. You continued forward.

A distant memory played before you. It was your “friend” holding you by your hands pulling you down this very hallway. You stepped in the elevator at the end, heading to the floor above. You turned to face the door, seeing the bars close before you. 

Another memory. One of Jisung, smashing against those very bars with the mask on his face. The elevator shook lightly as it came to the stop, the bars retracting revealing the next floor. You stepped forward to continue your search, but you hesitated and stepped backward into the elevator. You didn’t know why, but your fingers pressed the button for the very top floor. You didn’t realize it yourself until the bars close once again. You waved it off, willing away your gut feeling. You figured to clear the hospital top-down, while Woojin goes down up. The Desert Fox will have nowhere to go. As the elevator went up and up, you saw the floors pass by through the bars. It was the same as the ground floor. The floors painted red and the walls are decorated with bodies. You were going to be sick, but now isn’t the time to hurl up your stomach. The upper floor seemed relatively clean  _ as if they ran out of bodies to hang up like trophies. _

The elevator creaked to a stop and the bars folded open. The entire top floor was dark whereas the previous floors had flickering lights. Chills ran down your spine as the atmosphere became foreboding. The only light was from an open room at the end of the dark hall.

There he was. It had to be. The Desert Fox  _ had  _ to be there. With a dark look on your face, you approached the door, taking light steps. You ensured your footsteps wouldn’t be heard. Shuffling and the rustling of papers can be heard from within. You peeked through the slightly ajar door and sure enough, there he was. You see his back turned to you, shoving as many papers as possible into the backpack he was holding.

Your heart hammered in your chest. You could almost feel something snap inside of you as your eyes darken. The lump in your throat was now replaced by mind-numbing anger. You slowly push the door open and point your gun towards him, the Desert Fox, stepping closer to him.

“Don’t. Move,” you growled out, enunciated each syllable.

He didn’t make any movement. No flinching, no anything. He just stopped in his tracks as if you were expecting you.

“Dummy,” his sweet voice called out. If it were any other time, you would’ve retorted at his teasing tone, but now, the sound of his voice merely fueled the fire within you.

“You’re not allowed to call me that,” your tone was so monotonous and dead. He turned to look at you with an unreadable expression.

“Dummy-”

“Don’t. Only Seungmin is allowed to call me that,” you spoke out.

“But I am-” He started.

“No. Not anymore. You’re the Desert Fox,” your eyes darken.

“I see...” the Desert Fox straightened up, smoothing out the wrinkles of his shirt.

“But, first… Explain yourself,” you demanded, adjusting your gun to be in line with his forehead.

“Put the gun down first, then we will,” he spoke softly, taking a step forward reaching for your gun.

“No!” you interjected, slapping his hand away with the butt of your gun. “ _ Talk, _ ” you growled out.

“Dummy…”

“I told you NOT TO CALL ME THAT!” you spat, your voice echoing down the empty halls.

A prominent frown appeared on his face at your sudden outburst. His face remained unmoving but a pained expression was evident in his eyes. He saw through you. He knew your weakness, always have, always will. He straightened up, lifting his chin inhaling sharply.

“TALK-- ack!” 

The Desert Fox shot forward, grabbing the barrel of your gun. The rough texture of your suppressor’s fabric rubbed against his wrist as you fired. The bullet barely grazing his arm and embedded itself in the wall. It was at this moment, you wish you didn’t have a suppressor. The noise was almost as loud as a puff of air. The would-be bullet sound would have alerted Woojin.

This wasn’t the time, however, to regret your decisions. You quickly elbowed the Desert Fox in the side, remember what Felix taught you in self-defense if an enemy were to disarm you. You kept your grip on your gun, as you continued elbowing him and stomping on his foot.

He quickly twisted your arm and you responded by twisting your body to offset his attack. You’ve no other choice but to release your weapon, else you would have a broken arm. You quickly stepped away and turned to face him once more, your shoulders rising and falling with each pant. He quickly released the clip from your gun and tossed them on opposite sides of the room.

“Now,” he clapped his hands together as if to shake the dust off. “We can talk.”

You lunged forward with your fingers bent, palm out for a palm strike towards his face. The Desert Fox quickly dodged and you retaliated with another only for it to be dodged as well. He jumped back and slung the backpack over his shoulders so it wouldn’t be dangling and getting in the way.

“I don’t want to hurt you, dummy,” he tried to reason.

“I don’t care what you think,” you spat, running forward to throw a flurry of punches, each being dodged with a side step. You didn’t let up your attack, his arms go up to meet your fists blocking your assault. You dropped in an attempt to kick his legs out under him, but he was quicker jumping over your leg and sent you back with a clean punch to your face. You stumbled backward, grumbling in pain as you felt a liquid leak through your nose.

“Fuck,” you seethed, whipping around wiping the blood from your nose, smearing it over your lips and across your cheek. You throw another punch and he blocked it once more with his forearms. The only sounds that could be heard were rapid shuffling and the soft thuds of your fists colliding with his arms. At one point, he caught your fist and you responded with kneeing his torso and landing a punch of your own. He let out a loud groan kicking at your leg barely causing your knee to bend the wrong way. Pain course through your body as you froze. The sharp piercing pain caused your body to lock up, unable to retaliate as he landed another punch to your face, sending you to the ground. You fell with a loud thud, with your cheek grazing the ground.

The Desert Fox softened his stance a bit, attempting to walk towards you. “Dummy, I didn’t want to-” he was cut off with a fist connected to his jaw. The force of the impact sent him into the wall. His head collided with the wall leaving a small indent and a trail of blood to trickle down his forehead. 

“Don’t you dare get any closer,” Woojin growled. The Desert Fox stumbled a bit, shaking his head a bit to recover from the impact as he steadied himself with a hand planted on the wall. Woojin stomped forward towards the Desert Fox with a firm grasp of his shoulder. Woojin let out a loud cry as the Desert Fox quickly turned and slash his (your) black combat knife at Woojin’s face. Woojin doubled back as his hand flew up to his face to clutch at the cut. 

“Hyung?” the Desert Fox, gasped. “You shouldn’t be here!” He walked towards Woojin with the knife up. Woojin didn’t answer and knocked the breath out of the fox by tackling him and sending him back towards the wall. The fox retaliated by repeated elbowing the elder’s back. Woojin’s large hand comes up and pushes the fox’s face into the wall, pinning him in place. The fox’s hand flew up to Woojin’s fingers and pulled back hard. A deafening crack broke through the silence as well as Woojin’s fingers followed by Woojin’s roar of pain. The fox threw a punch only for it to get caught by the elder. He then kneed Woojin causing him to stumble backward and them deeply embedded the knife deep into Woojin’s pre-existing wound and kicked him away. Woojin stumbled to the floor grasping his arm.

“AAaaah!” You let out a cry rushing towards the Desert Fox. He whipped around at the sound of your as you swung a metal tray at him, making him stumble backward. You tossed the tray aside, the clanging echoed throughout the hospital. Using this to your advantage, you go and punch him, but he was faster. You never saw this side of him. You always had beaten him in a fight. Always. But why not now? Out of the 00’ line, the only one you can’t beat was Felix, but the Aussie becomes a monster when he fights.

The Desert Fox sidestepped your punch ending up behind you. His fingers fly to your hair, pulling you back. You hissed at the sudden burn on your scalp. Your head bent backward exposing your neck and he landed a clean punch to the exposed flesh. Pain flared up your body as it overwhelmed you, your body falling limp useless the excruciating pain. You heaved and coughed trying to recover from the blow, rolling on the floor with your hands grasping on your throat.

Woojin shot up to rush him but got clothes-lined in the process falling face flat on the floor. Woojin didn't even flinch. Not even a grunt of pain. He merely pushed himself up off the floor slowly, as if he just merely slipped and recovered from a fall without a single bother.

“Enough games, Seungmin,” Woojin cracked his neck, an indicator of Woojin finally fighting seriously. “It’s just you and me.”

“I’d prefer not,” he replied, holding up his (your) knife.

They had a death stare as the two circled each other. Their gazes not looking at anything else. Woojin made the first move, going for a punch. The fox ducked under the attack and slashing Woojin’s arm with the knife. Woojin may be a good fighter. He hits hard and he most certainly knows what he’s doing. His only weakness: his attacks were always sluggish whereas the other skilled fighter, Felix, had light attacks, but he was much more quick and agile by a landslide. Seungmin was almost the same. He had the agility, but not the ability to fight that well… or so you thought.

You let out a loud wheezing cough, still recovering from the nasty blow you received. You rolled over to your knees in a dire attempt to push yourself up. The fox hesitated and looked over at your direction in concern. Woojin was quick to jump at this moment of opportunity and attempted to rush him. The fox was quick to react, raising a leg and kicking Woojin straight in the stomach. It was less of a kick, but the impact came from Woojin’s sprint into the fox’s foot. Woojin coughed out, feeling the wind knock out of him. Knowing that the elder would kill him no matter what, the fox tossed the knife catching it by the blade. Woojin recovered slightly, back straightening up a bit as he gasped for air. Without a second thought, he threw the knife deeply embedding itself deep in Woojin’s throat. The eldest’s eyes widened, as his jaw fell slack. His hands flew up to clutch at his throat as more and more red spew out.

“NO!” you cried out.

Woojin’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell backward lifeless. You pushed yourself off the ground, sprinting into his back, sending you both to the floor. Papers flew out of his backpack and scattered across the ground.

“WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?” you roared out, your tears streaming down your face in waterfalls. You had a firm grip on his wrist as you twist the Fox’s arm behind his back. All you could see was red as anger seethed through your entire body.

“Remember my promise-”

“Don’t you dare start with it,” you pulled his arm upward causing him to wince loudly.

“Remember what I said, you know me. You should understand what I’m doing,” he tried to interject. “Look at the papers, you’ll understand!”

You glanced at the papers scattered before you. It was all crumpled up from being stuffed haphazardly into his backpack, but you recognized your own slightly smiling face staring back at you. You saw everything: your name, your age, your date of birth, your hospital records, everything.

“You’ve been watching me, then you’ve documents about me,” you chuckled dryly. “Yeah, I understand. Hospital records, ID, and personal records. You’re trying to kill me and erase me from existence.”

“If I wanted, I would’ve when you’ve found me out,” the fox struggled, but you pinned him down using your full weight on the small of his back

**“Woojin wasn’t supposed to die***”**

**“You’re right, he wasn’t. I wanted you to find me ** ** _alone!***”_ **

“So you can erase me out of existence?” you spat. “Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t kill you at this moment!”

“That’s not it!!! We want the same thing--”

“How is this the same?! We, Stray Kids, fight for the people!” 

“And I fight for what I care about!”

“So you fight for yourself-”

“NO, DUMMY! YOU! I FIGHT FOR YOU,” he shouted out, reaching behind him with his free hand. His fingers held a death grip at the roots of your hair and he pulled you off him, sending your body forward and landing on the tile floor on your back with a light thud.

You both recovered, shooting up to a standing position to face each other once more.

“So you killed all these people for me? You’re sick!” you growled.

“We have the same enemy-” he attempted to start.

“No! These people, in the settlement, they’re innocent-”

“They tried to kill you! Because of me…,” he trailed off at the last statement almost sounding sorry.

“Yeah, no shit-” you dryly chuckled, but you were interrupted.

“Who was the one you got you out? The inside is trying to erase you. I got you out, so I’m a target also!” He exclaimed out, attempting to explain his side.

“W-what?” you breathed out.

“I aided your escape. That means I am complicit to your actions, that means I’m your accomplice…” his voice was softer, now that his words were finally reaching you. “Look at all those bodies, I didn’t kill them.”

Then it all clicked and you knew. Then he knew that you knew. You thought back to the death spectacle and why they all looked familiar… that was because they  _ are  _ familiar. You recognize their faces, you’ve never forgotten them… they were guys that you’ve written up from within the walls. They were also those from Paradise, the guards you and Lee Know have killed. They were also from the underground settlement, and many others you’ve killed to get Stray Kids to where they’re standing now.  **You ** killed them.

“Dummy,” Seungmin calmed down and approached you slowly. His voice fell softly into a whisper. 

You gulp, remembering his words. “Who is hiding the truth? That is the enemy.” 

Everything fell into place. In a world of lies, the enemy is truth. What is truth? Is it a divine spectacle that represents justice… or is it an imbalance of power? A piece of information that can control the fate of those caught in fate’s strings.

The display of death. It wasn’t a showing to boast the Desert Fox’s allegedly killing. It was a warning, a threat towards  _ you  _ and your crimes.

“You did what you could.  ** _Thank you for not killing those guys in the fort when you were looking for me.***_ ** _ ”  _ Seungmin whispered to you, placing his hands on your shoulders lightly. “You didn’t need that on you also.”

You looked away. Guilt and regret ate up your soul, you felt everything falling apart by the seams. You killed them. You are a monster.

“Dummy,” Seungmin caressed your cheek, lightly rubbing his thumb in circles to ground you back to reality. “Not all heroes are the ‘ _ good guys.’” _

So who is hiding the truth?

[ **[Vote here]** ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16Xt5QVG8UG5sS3qpnBGwIVt1BhjvZAhhYcw6MZ7SBOU/edit)

**[Bearing Update]**

**Kim Woojin Status Update: Killed in Action**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important info in the "Vote Here" so read carefully


	41. Ch 21 Q&A [Updated 29/07/2020]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this Q&A, I've been busy.

  1. Why did you include the deceased members? 
    1. The reason why the deceased people are included is that ideals expand far surpass a person. Actions may define a person and a name is merely a label, but the legacy of their actions will remain even as the body fades.
  2. Why did the boi WJ got offed? 
    1. While this fanfiction is driven by the readers, I determine what is the “best case scenario,” a way I intend the story to go you can call it, but obviously because of the reader interactions, the intended path will diverge.This is hinted at within Chapter 20 itself. Woojin’s death was a direct consequence of Chapter 19. If the intended path is defined as the best course of action to spare the lives of as many members as possible and prevent as many major injuries as possible, the true “intended” path for this scenario was infiltrating the fort _quietly _by _yourself._
  3. How did DF get those papers? 
    1. He collectively gathered them over time starting as early as when he was still within the walls. He didn’t keep the papers on his person for obvious reasons to not arouse suspicions and get exposed prematurely. Additionally, he had access to Chan’s old laptop that was supposed to be destroyed long ago, so if those papers were to get damaged or lost, he still had the means to regaining those documents.
  4. It was awhile ago, but Jisung's death seemed to come out of nowhere. Why was he chosen to die? Did you plan to kill him off specifically based on the votes or was it more of a convenience thing? Idk if that makes sense lol Like I know you've somewhat planned the story ahead of time, were the votes always going to lead to his death/survival or could another member have taken his place? 
    1. His death was sudden, yes. There is no easy way to ease into a major character death, but due to the environment the story is in it’s highly probable for someone at one point to lose their life. Woojin’s failure near the beginning was meant to serve as a warning of sorts so the readers can take more careful considerations when voting. I didn’t choose to kill him off specifically, so I guess it was convenience? When I put the side ops option, the one who took the reconnaissance mission would appear in the chapter no matter who it was. This was predetermined before I began the chapter. And if the supply run side ops got accepted, the characters would _not _be put in that life or death situation. This was also predetermined. If any member had taken this specific side op, Hyunjin and Y/N would’ve returned back to base with a clean mission success after completing their main objective. 
    2. And to answer your last question of could another member have taken his place, yes, but the outcome would be different depending on who it is. The way I’ve designed Jisung’s character was that his trope was silent, stealthy and deadly, but would do poorly in a full confrontational fight which was the case in that scenario he was in. His strength lies in picking off unsuspecting enemies. If a member who was more suited for direct conflict was in that situation such as Felix or Changbin, then he would’ve lived.
  5. If Jisung didn't die, Hyunjin would be dead instead? 
    1. Quite possibly. If you’d sided with Jisung and fled, no one would’ve died. As explained in the previous question, mission outcomes depend on the specific member’s strengths and weaknesses. Both Jisung and Hyunjin are at a severe disadvantage in a fully confrontational, guns ablazing fight. However, I took creative liberty as an author to have one member live as it was the first life or death situation I’ve introduced to the story and I used the _highly _professional method of flipping a coin to decide who dies.
  6. How come Woojin just happened to be near the fort Y/N was planning to infiltrate. 
    1. Coincidence.
    2. That and I needed a way to incorporate Woojin back in since calling Woojin as backup was the winning vote.
  7. Was there ever a chance for DF to die before this moment? If there was, what would you have changed. If he did die before this moment, would you have changed the identity for the story’s sake? 
    1. Yes.
    2. Nothing.
    3. No, refer to Question 1. While the “Desert Fox” was a name applied to a person, the repercussions of his actions still remained. People still followed his orders even though they didn’t know who he was or what he looked like.
  8. How were the bodies collected for the hospital scene? 
    1. The “inside” is powerful and has far reaching influence even far beyond the walls.
  9. How did that wolf understand the hooman? 
    1. Wolves are intelligent creatures.
    2. Also, some people have a knack at taming wild beasts whether by words or by force.
  10. Where tf did WJ come from? 
    1. Refer to Question 6.
  11. Did DF’s followers know what he looked like or who he was? 
    1. No. It was physically impossible for DF/Seungmin to meet his followers face to face without being caught by Chan. So he remained anonymous under the name, Desert Fox. They did know, however, that he had ties with SKZ and at that point of time in the story, SKZ had already been well established and each individual member was well revered and feared for their abilities. It didn’t matter who it was, affiliation to SKZ was enough to obey.
  12. How many animals were there in the caged animals scene?
    1. ... ok?
    2. Like 1, maybe 2, bears and a pack of 5 wolves and an Alpha Wolf. 

[[Ask Here]](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16Xt5QVG8UG5sS3qpnBGwIVt1BhjvZAhhYcw6MZ7SBOU/edit)

If you have any more questions, go to this link. Remember, this is a resource from me to aid you in your decision because this vote will influence the ending of the story. To clear up confusion, you can go back AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT to keep asking questions. It's not a one and done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of July 29th, 2020, the member votes are currently in a 3-way tie. I will start writing Chapter 21 once there's a sizeable lead for a member.


	42. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Voting Results]
> 
> Who is hiding the truth?
> 
> Bang Christopher Chan

“So, what do you want to do?” the man before you spoke softly.

You couldn't bear to gaze at him for prolonged periods of time. After everything you’ve been through and the revelations you’ve discovered in such a compact amount of time, you don’t know if the man standing before you was your Minnie, Kim Seungmin, or the Desert Fox. 

“Do you trust me?”

“Not again...” you’ve whispered out.

“I really need to know,” he spoke out.

Me, too. Me, too… 

~

Your fingers dug through the compressed dirt. You wince slightly as the dirt and grime dig underneath your nails, threatening to breach your nail bed… but you don’t stop. Your fingers kept digging and grabbing until your nails scraped over the top of a wooden box.

You let out a sigh of relief as you finally unearthed the box. The box felt heavy in your hands despite the lightweight. It held more emotional weight.

It’s been roughly a year since the Desert Fox… erm, Seungmin told you all that he knew. You still couldn’t fully trust him. He wasn’t your ally. He  _ isn’t  _ your ally. What you have now is just… a nonaggression pact.

You popped open the small wooden box, revealing your (Chan’s) black hoodie with your suppressed gun resting on top of the clothing. You reached under the dark fabric and pulled out several sheets of paper. It was a messy pile of your documents as well as the captain’s papers from the Desert Fox. You were afraid. You were scared. So you locked it all away and hope it will all just fade away. 

It never did.

A wave of nausea and dread coursed through you. Feelings of fear and distress kept flowing through your veins. So much information was gathered on you just to take you out. Even though you were hiding, even though you were always running, it was only a matter of time before you’re found. By who, you may ask? You don’t even know if you want to know. 

A voice broke you out of your thoughts. “I got us some food.”

You turned to see Seungmin standing at the crack of the entrance of the cave with two cans of beans, one in each hand. 

“Beans…?” you grimaced. “Where did you get that from?”

“Do you need me to answer?” He spoke out carefully. During the course of the year, you’ve been hiding and running together, Seungmin was always careful. Careful in how he acted, how he spoke, and even how he looked at you. 

You looked away, swallowing the lump in your throat, resisting the urge to dry heave again. His title of Desert Fox was beneficial… in a way. He still had influence, even more so when no one knew what he looked like and even better when no one knew he defected from Stray Kids. But that name still had a heavyweight, leaving a bitter taste on your tongue. 

“Here, try to eat some food,” he spoke out, popping open the can. He walked towards you to place the can by you. He leaned over your crouched body, glancing at the open box. “Why did you dig that back up?”

“I can’t do this anymore,” you breathed out.

“I’ll protect you... like I promise-”

“ _ No.  _ I can’t  _ do  _ this anymore. Living in fear. Always running. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I feel like throwing up my entire innards whenever I look at you!” you gasped after you choked out. You pant and attempted to level your breathing to subdue the panic attack before it took you.

Seungmin pressed his lips together at your outburst. Hurt was evident on his face. While he understood what you were going through, he can’t deny how much that hurt. He didn’t say a single word. All he did was reach for his canteen hanging from his waist and help it over your shoulder. You quickly grasped it and popped off the top. You drank from it, feeling the cool liquid travel down your throat. The cool feeling gave temporary relief before you doubled over, coughing and dry heaving. Your body tried to expel the water it just ingested. Seungmin’s eyes widened as he outstretched a hand, hesitating over your back, not knowing whether to rub your back to help or touching you would make it worse.

You sat down fully on the ground, recovered a bit. “I want to see Chan.

“What?!” he exclaimed a little too loudly, causing you to flinch slightly.

“Please. It’s the only way.”

“I don’t trust him-‘

“And I can’t live like this!” you yelled out, still facing away from him.

Seungmin sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

“Fine,” Seungmin gave in. “But we’re going to see someone first.”

~

Your hands pat down all the wrinkles of your dark hoodie for the past 15 minutes. The Stray Kids hideout was in view. You can see the familiar warehouses peeking over the hill. 

“We don’t have to do this, you know,” you heard Seungmin’s voice behind you. You’re silently thankful for him staying behind you the entire time else you would start dry heaving seeing him.

“No, I need to know,‘ you settled, standing before the large door. Seungmin stood beside you, you glanced at him momentarily.

“Be ready,” he spoke out, pulling out a pistol. You did the same.

Seungmin grabbed the handle of the metal door and pulled it to the slide. The heavy door scraped across the ground, revealing the base common lounge room. You walked in with your pistol ready. You glanced behind seeing Seungmin quickly shutting the door. 

“You’re back,” you gasped as you and Seungmin readied your guns towards the voice.

Hyunjin. He had a frown on his face, his hair is now blond but tied back in a high ponytail. He’s dressed in all-black attire, a stark contrast from his previously pure white skin-tight suit. And most jarring of all is the absence of wings on his back.

“No… wings?” you breathed out.

“Well our engineer was gone,” Hyunjin raised an eyebrow towards Seungmin.

“But you’re the engineer,” Seungmin clarified.

“Indeed,” Hyunjin confirmed curtly before turning away as if the two guns pointed to him meant nothing at all.

Hyunjin was strangely… normal. As if you both weren’t gone for a year. No apprehensive actions, no questions of curiosity, just normal… snappy Hyunjin… like how you remember him.

You and Seungmin met eyes and nodded, coming to a silent agreement. Do not mention anything. You both don’t know how much he knows and whether or not Chan decided to mention anything. 

However, there was a way to find out.

“W-wait!” you called out to the medic/engineer, who turned without saying a word.

“Where’s Changbin?” Hyunjin stared intently at you after you asked the question. You met his eyes which didn’t seem to harbor any visible emotion. His eyes glanced over your shoulder momentarily before returning his gaze back at you.

Confused, you slowly turned your head behind seeing the very man you asked for himself. He looked to have stopped mid-walk and glanced at you with an unreadable expression, eyeing you up and down. He then shifted his gaze to Seungmin, who stepped back defensively, but Changbin didn’t say a word.

“Oh? Is that Y/N and Seungmin?” a cheery voice broke through the silence. A smiling Felix walked out from the hallway.

“The family is all here!”

Your mouth gaped open at a loss of words.

Everything was… normal.

Changbin began to walk away during Felix’s happy greeting. 

“W-wait! Changbin!” you called out, sidestepping Felix’s attempt of a hug to follow the weapons dealer. 

Not letting the fact that he was left hanging bother him, Felix approached Seungmin with a hefty pat on his shoulder, ignoring Seungmin’s scowl and the gun pointed at him. 

“It’s been too long, you’ve got to tell me everything, friend!” Felix cheekily spoke out.

~

“Wait! Changbin! We need to talk,” you picked up your pace to match his.

“What is there to talk about?” he spoke out without an ounce of emotion.

“I don’t know! Anything? Tell me what happened after I was gone! Yell at me! Something! I don’t know. Don’t do… that,” you huffed.

“Don’t do what exactly,” he stopped to look at you. 

“THAT! Stop acting like it’s just another day in the base. We’ve been gone for a whole year for fucks sake!”

Changbin narrowed his eyes and opened the room he just happened to be standing in front of.

“Get in,” he commanded.

“Wha-”

“I said get in,” he spoke out more sternly.

You obeyed and walked into the dark room, a room you vaguely recognized. It hasn’t been touched since the occupant passed away, the dust settled everywhere and there were some particles floating in the air. It was Jisung’s room. A room you hadn’t been in for a while, a room you’ve mainly seen glimpses of from Jisung entering and exiting because Jisung was always in his room and the room was always locked.

“Why are we in here, Changbin?” you turned to him.

“I will ask again, what is there to talk about?” Changbin crossed his arms.

“There’s plenty of things to talk about-”

“Like what? Like how Chan is the Desert Fox?” Changbin snapped.

“I- what?”

“Come on, you can not deny he’s suspicious. He wouldn’t have kicked you out if you haven’t gotten onto something.”

Changbin thinks Chan is the Desert Fox, but you and Woojin have gotten concrete evidence on who it was as well as a confession. This probably means Chan hasn’t told any of them anything. 

**~Voting Opportunity~**

**Do you want to tell Seo Changbin what you know about the Desert Fox?**

“Listen, this laptop of yours. It’s gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” you hissed.

“I tried to find it in the warehouse, it’s gone. Probably Chan got to it.”

“So what are you doing then?”

“Finding proof,” Changbin answered, storming out the room. “But right now, don’t say anything.” He ordered before closing the door behind him.

Like hell, you were going to keep quiet. You immediately barged out of Jisung’s room and stormed down the hallway.

~

“It’s been a while, Seungmin. Are you sure you haven’t gotten rusty?” Felix grinned, ducking under Seungmin’s punch.

“Sod off, Felix. I really don’t wanna fight right now,” he groaned out, throwing another punch. 

“You’ve been with Y/N for a bit, is… there something going on?” he smiled, wagging his eyebrows. 

“I’m not talking to you right now,” Seungmin scoffed. “It’s you I want to talk to.” Seungmin sidestepped Felix’s charge easily and stomped closer to Hyunjin. Hyunjin tilted his head as his chin was resting in his hand. Hyunjin made no sudden movement to Seungmin’s advance and merely adjusted his leg to cross over the other. 

“Hyunjin. You need to help Y/N,” Seungmin threatened the medic/engineer.

“OOOoooh, so there is something going on,” Felix hummed, prompting Seungmin to roll his eyes and punch Felix straight in the face, sending him backward.

“Ow,” the Aussie stated almost sarcastically. 

“Hyunjin, please. Y/N couldn’t eat, Y/N can’t sleep.”

Hyunjin glanced up at Seungmin incredulously. 

~

“Y/N? Is that you?” a voice interrupted you from knocking on Chan’s door.

“Lee Know?” you gasp, seeing him standing in the hallway.

“Is that all I am now? Just Lee Know?” he frowned, walking forward with his arms outstretched. “A year and suddenly, I’m just Lee Know.”

“Sorry, Minho,” you started walking into his embrace.

“Are you going to see Chan?” 

You nodded in his arms. “Has… Chan said anything?”

“He’s… different... Ever since you and Seungmin disappeared.”

“Different how?”

“I don’t know how to say it. He seemed… scared. Not really scared, but more like… paranoid?”

“But why?” you breathed out, looking down to the ground.

“I don’t know. He seemed really worried. He told us that you both were just on a mission, but totally glossed over why both you and Seungmin got disconnected from Hyunjin’s network.”

“Do you want me to go in with you?” Lee Know spoke again after a pause.

“No… no. It’s fine.”

**~Voting Opportunity~**

**Do you want to tell Lee Know|Lee Minho what you know about the Desert Fox?**

~

“What do you mean Y/N can’t eat or sleep?” Hyunjin hissed out, jumping up to meet Seungmin eye to eye. “What did  _ you  _ do?”

“Does it matter?” Seungmin grumbled. “You’re the doctor, do your job.”

“What about you? You both were just on a top-secret mission that Chan hyung can’t tell us about and you both disconnected your tracker, so it was  _ your  _ job to take care of Y/N!”

“I’ve tried-”

“Have you tried at all?” Hyunjin frowned.

Seungmin threw his head back in annoyance, narrowing his eyes as he scowled at the medic. Seungmin crossed his arms and began tapping his foot.

“What is it that you both are into that not even Chan hyung can tell us? No one is ever on a ‘top secret’ mission not from us-”

Seungmin shut up the medic by reaching behind and grabbing his ponytail, pulling his head back harshly. Hyunjin hissed as Felix immediately jumped in and pushed Seungmin back with a firm forearm in his neck.

“Seungmin stop,” the Aussie warned.

“Now listen here, Hwang,” Seungmin growled out ignoring Felix, eyes darkening. “Never doubt our  _ hyung. _ ”

“Seungmin isn’t wrong,” Felix chimed in. “It must be serious that Chan kept quiet about it.”

Seungmin smirked hearing Felix’s words.

“Felix, you should be asking Hwang here if there’s something going on between him and Y/N. Isn’t he acting a bit… empathetic?”

Felix frowned at the younger. His words ran through his muddled brain with a hamster running in its wheel. “Let him go, Seungmin.” Felix merely stated.

“You’re acting pretty emotionally, aren’t you Hwang- ACK!”

Seungmin was harshly pulled back by his hair. Seungmin still had a firm grip with his fingers entangled in Hyunjin’s hair and Felix entangled in the middle, so the three of them were dragged along also. 

“You just got back and are already picking fights, Seungmin?” Changbin growled in the demolitionist ear. 

“None of your business Changbin-” Seungmin hissed as Changbin pulled harder on his hair.

“That’s Changbin  _ hyung  _ to you,” he growled causing the younger to roll his eyes. “I don’t like your attitude, Seungmin.” He released the younger and the 4 males untangled from each other. “I thought the year away would’ve fixed your attitude.”

“Emotions make you weak,” Hyunjin patted himself down and pulled off his rubber band, ruffling his blond hair. His statement seemed to hit a nail, causing both Changbin and Seungmin to glare at him.

“You guys are too loud,” Lee Know leaned on the doorway crossing his arms. “Hyunjin, you seemed pretty emotional to begin with. You were the first voice I heard booming down the hallway.”

Hyunjin stiffened up and inhaled sharply.

“I didn’t intend for it to be that way,” Hyunjin gathered himself together. “Where’s Y/N?”

“So…. is there something going on between-”

“Shut up, Felix,” Seungmin and Hyunjin groaned out. 

~

You let out a shaky breath and pressed an ear against Chan’s door. It’s quiet. You can barely make out the sounds of his fingers dancing on his keyboard. Hesitantly, you knocked on the door. No answer. You pressed your ear against the door again. It sounds as if Chan hasn’t moved from his spot.

“Chan, it’s me,” you called out, knocking once again.

No answer. 

“ _ CHRIS, _ ” you banged on the door. 

Finally, the door opened. 

“Chan-” you were interrupted with a hug, seemingly getting the life squeezed out of you. “Chan?”

He pulled away and rested his hands on your shoulders, rubbing small circles with his thumbs.

“It’s so good to see you,” Chan flashed his dimple smile. “I was so worried.”

You took a good look at him. He looked more… pale. His cheeks are slightly sunken in with very prominent eye bags and dark circles. Most noticeably is that his hair is now black and wispy. 

“Come in, come in,” Chan opened the door wider for you.

You took a good look around the room. It generally looked the same with the exception of a mattress lying on the floor in the corner. There wasn’t a sheet on it, not even a blanket or a pillow, but there was a dark body shaped stain in the center as if someone had been sleeping on that mattress wayyyy too much.

“Here, I have something for you,” Chan’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. Chan was holding out a laptop for you. More specifically, that supposed corpse of a laptop that was ditched in the warehouse, the one that Changbin said disappeared.

“Wha-”

“I… uhh... repaired it. So it’s not as… glitchy. It works better than it was collecting dust in that warehouse… even though there wasn’t any on it...” Chan trailed off.

“Why are you giving me this?” you asked carefully.

“So you know I can be trusted,” Chan smiled. You eyed the leader carefully, trying to see any odd change of emotion. You grabbed a hold of the laptop while remaining eye contact. His face seemed genuine, but something was… there hidden in his eye and something was stirring in your gut feeling. 

~

_ “Where are you going, Seungmin?” you grumbled, struggling in his grip. _

_ Seungmin held you firmly by your wrist as he dragged you down the trail. You had a weird sense of deja vu with the full moon above watching over you. _

_ “We’re seeing someone,” he stated. _

_“You said that earlier,” your heart dropped as you recognized the locale. The fort. He was taking you to the fort._ _You heard a wolf howl in the distance._

_ “What are you doing?” you panicked, trying to pry his fingers off of you. _

_ “Don’t worry. I told them I was coming, they are to stay bunkered down so we should be able to walk straight in,” he informed, reaching behind your head and pulling your hood up and pulling his hood up also. “Keep your face hidden.” _

_ Just as he said, you both just walked straight in. No guards, no snipers, no one. But you know people are around. The smaller buildings have the windows closed, but you see lights from within peeking through the cracks and a few laughter and cheering.  _

_ Seungmin pulled open the door of the center building and gestured to get in.  _

_ “Welcome back,” a woman’s voice greeted you. It was that woman that you saw a year ago, but this time she was sitting on the bottom floor. “Much time has passed.” _

_ “I’m cutting to the chase.” _

_ “Of course, Desert Fox,” she hummed. “Ask what you wish to know.” _

_ “What is Chan hiding?” _

_ The woman smiled. _

_ “ _ ** _Nothing._ ** _ ” _

[ **[Vote Here]** ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18hMMC0px3WtqTYoM9RSQoeGfCflUE_YXT4V0EoJmkpk/edit)

[Author’s Note]

A little hint for the voting. Pay attention to character interactions. Watch how they react to each other and how they react to specific statements.


	43. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voting Results
> 
> Bearing Update.  
You've told Lee Know| Lee Minho about the Desert Fox.  
You've told Seo Changbin about the Desert Fox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact. I had this chapter done but right when I had it drafted on this site, the news about WJ came out so I had to change a few minor things with this chapter (Aka straight up deleting chunks) as I currently do not support him anymore and his actions anymore.  
[More Info about WJ in this story in the end notes]
> 
> Due to the sort of last-minute cuts and changes, this chapter isn't up to my standard to quality so I apologize for that. To make up for it, I have Chapter 23 ready and up to go. LMK if you want Ch23 up later today or tomorrow morning at the same time.

“Chan really gave you… his laptop?” Seungmin asked.

“He said that he wanted to let me know that he could be trusted,” you’ve placed the laptop down and powered it on. It hummed and vibrated signifying its old age.

“It doesn’t seem right. What information can you get from that that I can not get?” he crossed his arms, leaning on the wall.

“The inside?” you sneered, causing him to huff.

“We were never allowed to look through his laptop, so why would he give it to you now?”

“Maybe it’s so he can make all the difficult decisions so we don’t have to,” you both jumped at the voice. Lee Know was leaning at the door with the door open.

“How long have you been there?” Seungmin growled, pulling out your black knife.

“Just now. Changbin’s looking for you,‘ he stated, ignoring the fact that a weapon was pulled on him.

“What does he want?” Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Gonna give me an attitude check again?”

“Not my problem. You’ve been giving lip since you’ve been back,”

Seungmin groaned and left the room.

“Y/N,” Lee Know sat beside you. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Yeah...”

“You don’t sound so sure-”

“Well, I don’t know who to trust,” you snapped.

“Been spending a lot of time with Seungmin, have you?” he chuckled, attempting to elevate the atmosphere. “Well it’s nice to know that you trust me… Well, trusted me enough.”

You gulped, wondering if it was a good decision. Maybe you shouldn’t have thrown your trust so readily, but deep down, you know.  _ This was the correct choice. _

“Are you sure about this? About… the Desert Fox? Can he really be trusted?” he whispered, making sure he kept his voice down. 

“I- I don’t know,” you hesitated. “He did all these things, but… it’s all wrong, but… but… ”

“Listen, about Paradise,” he started. “It was supposed to actually be Paradise, but what we saw is kinda far from that. Armed guards? Executing people? Doesn’t seem like Paradise.”

“He didn’t know...”

“So you’re defending him?” Lee Know asked.

“No… I’m just stating the facts.”

“There are things that the Desert Fox set up, but he has other people do it for him. That guy at Paradise, he was a traitor to the Desert Fox. He started doing things his own way.”

“Does Chan know?” 

You shook your head. ”Just Changbin.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing...” he trailed off, adjusting his seating position to get a better view of the laptop.

Me too, Minho… Me, too.

~

Rapid knocking echoed through the silent hallways. Little did they know that knocking was the first real noise the base had heard in a year. Everyone was so tense and on edge, but no one really knows why. Not after Chan locked himself away, not after Chan wanted them at base at all time. Especially not after the disappearance of Y/N and Kim Seungmin. Many questions were up in the air, but no answer to accompany them.

In this dark world run by lies, people don’t survive on lies, they point fingers and redirect blame… So who was pointing fingers at whom?

You had always pinned the blame at the Desert Fox, but now the Desert Fox is unmasked. You would point fingers at DF without any hesitation, no questions, with absolute certainty. But he was unmasked to be Kim Seungmin, one you would never in a million years point fingers at. You were at an impasse. If this were a game of chess, it would be a stalemate with you attempting to defeat the enemy King, the Desert Fox, while protecting your own, Kim Seungmin.

So who do you blame? Who do you point fingers at?

The knocking resumes unknowingly causing tension within the little locked room with a singular person held together with mere threads on the brink of snapping.

Felix always remained ignorant, blind to what’s happening around him. All he knew how to do was fight and follow orders. If Chan stated nothing was wrong, then nothing is wrong in his eyes. However, even he noticed the tense atmosphere, but nothing was wrong… was there?

Then there was Hyunjin. Hwang Hyunjin, the apathetic and unempathetic medic. Even he wasn’t immune to the effects of time. He grew restless and he too began pointing fingers but to Seungmin. Not from malice, not because he was the enemy, not like he knew Seungmin was the enemy, but because in Hyunjin’s eyes, he failed to protect you. When on a mission, it should be common etiquette to watch each other’s back and that’s what Seungmin should’ve done… or is Hyunjin harboring some underlying feelings? 

The knocking had evolved to banging on the door.

“Are you going to let me in or not? Or are you just going to waste my time?” Seungmin asked aloud. 

Light shuffling can be heard inside. Seungmin pressed an ear on the door, he could’ve sworn he heard a gun clicking, but it’s Changbin, so it’s not out of the ordinary. However, there was a tugging feeling in his gut, but the aggravation and annoyance overshadowed the gut feeling.

“Just get in and close the door behind you,” a muffled voice came from within.

Seungmin groaned and rubbed his forehead, not wanting to stick around any longer. He grabbed the knob, turning it. The door creaked as he opened it. It was strange. It was so out of character, Changbin always kept everything in tip-top shape, including his door.

Seungmin entered the dark room and turned to the door to close it. Suddenly, fingers wove their way into Seungmin’s dark hair. The younger hissed as he felt pressure on his scalp from the rough pulling. 

“Aa-ah,” Seungmin gasped out as his head was forcefully pulled back. A deafening thud echoed afterward as his head collided with the door. 

“F-fuck,” Seungmin cursed, reaching behind to grab to Changbin’s wrist, struggling against his grip.

“Think you can just walk right back without any consequences, you traitor,” Changbin growled in his ear.

“I don’t have time for this,” Seungmin jerked his head back, the crown of his head collided with Changbin’s nose. 

Changbin stumbled backward with his hand flying to his nose. Changbin quickly pulled out a pistol and readied it. “I’ll fucking kill you, Desert Fox!”

Seungmin reacted quickly, reaching for his wrist and twisting it upward. A shot rang out from him pulling the trigger, the bullet lodged itself at the roof. Seungmin grabbed the barrel of the gun and wrenched it out of the gun dealer’s hand, the gun dropped helplessly on the floor.

Changbin went for a punch that collided with Seungmin’s cheek causing him to stumble. Changbin went in for a grab, but Seungmin quickly pulled out your knife and slashed at the elder, creating a long gash on his forearm. Seungmin quickly followed with a quick flurry of slashes, successfully creating injuries and gashes with every swing. All Changbin could do was bring up his forearms in self-defense and Seungmin quickly stabbed Changbin in the side, bringing the elder to the floor.

“I didn’t want this,” Seungmin gasped out, backing up and pulled out the knife. “I only did this for Y/N. It was all for Y/N”

The weapons dealer crawled backward, propping himself up on the bed. His hand held pressure on his wound as red continued gushing out through his fingers, spreading across his shirt as the cotton fabric absorbed the copper fluid like a sponge. Changbin winced as pain seared throughout his body.

“You… Seungmin,” Changbin trailed off in disbelief. “What have you done?”

“All I care about is Y/N. I don’t care about you. I don’t care about Chan. I care about Y/N,” Seungmin stepped forward and kneeled before him. “I only came back because Y/N’s health is deteriorating.”

“You...” Changbin gasped, putting the pieces together. “You… You-”

“Yes, I love them. I love Y/N… more than anything,” Seungmin pressed his lips together and stood up, pocketing the bloody knife in the front pocket of his hoodie.

“Go,” Changbin said bluntly.

“Wha-”

“Just go,” Changbin raised his voice. “NOW!”

Seungmin backed up, his hand reaching behind feeling for the doorknob. 

Changbin pulled out a black phone.

“Hwang Hyunjin. This is Seo Changbin. I require immediate medical assistance in my room,” he gasped out discarding his phone to the side. Seungmin quickly ran down the hall.

~

A gasp cut through the silence of the room. Fingers twitched as the dark figure forced himself off the mattress.

“Chan?” your voice called out. Knocking followed. Each knock and tap seemed to make his heart skip a beat and his stomach dropped.

“Hyung.”

Chan gasped. Lee Know.

“Let us in.”

“Channie, please,” your voice rang out. “We just want to talk.” 

Chan willed himself off the mattress. The sweet lull of sleep still brooded over him. He just wanted to sleep it all away. He just felt… so tired. He dragged his feet towards his door and unlocked it with a soft click. He pulled open the door revealing both you and Lee Know.

“Y-yes… Come in,” Chan stepped aside letting them in.

You and Lee Know glanced at each other.

“Well… that was easy,” Lee Know shrugged. “Chan never let us in, most of the time he didn’t answer.”

“Chan, please,” you begged, walking in ignoring Lee Know. “I just want the truth.”

“I… gave you my laptop…?” Chan questioned. 

“What are you hiding from us?”

“ ** _Nothing._ ** ”

Chan’s words cut through the silence. The silence that came after was deafening. In a matter of seconds, the atmosphere dropped and the room felt heavy. You felt numb entirely and your ears were slightly ringing, drowning out Lee Know’s voices of complaint.

Nothing…?

That woman… was right?

“Everything you need is on that laptop,” Chan continued, sensing the icy atmosphere. You gasped when his voice broke you out of your thoughts. Your heart was hammering in your chest. Chan turned away and sat back down on his mattress, slowly lying down. 

“Oh no, you’re not going back to sleep,” Lee Know walked past you, bumping shoulders into you. He grabbed at the fabric of Chan’s shirt and pulled him back into a sitting position. 

_ “What is Chan hiding?” _

_ The woman smiled. “Nothing.” _

A vague question… and a vague answer.

Chan’s laptop weighed heavily in your arms. You brought it up and opened it, seeing your reflection on the screen. You had the laptop for a time before. The laptop that held so much information about everything.

_ What is Chan hiding...? _

_ Nothing. _

Nothing. Chan’s hiding nothing because you had the means to the answer all along.

You tossed the device to the side, the laptop clattered on the floor.

“No. I want to hear it, Chan,” you started, stomping towards him. “Use your words.”

“I-” he cut off.

“You’re scared,” Lee Know furrowed his eyebrows. “That’s why you’ve been sleeping, you’re afraid of the truth, hoping to sleep it all away.”

Chan looked away in shame.

“Hoping that this was all just a dream and that you’ll wake up and it will go away,” Lee Know finished.

Chan’s lip quivered. His mouth felt dry yet he had just swallowed a lump in the throat.

“That’s why you kept Stray Kids nearby,” you finally understood. “You hoped that one day you would wake up and all of us were together again.”

Nailed it.

Chan’s shoulders slumped down in defeat.

“Are you with Y/N?” Chan asked Lee Know.

Lee Know nodded. “Where they go, I will also.”

“Okay,” Chan's voice was no louder than a whisper. “Okay...”

Chan stood up and walked towards his desk, picking up and pocketing his pistol and knife. “Follow me… and… bring Seungmin also.”

“Oh,” Chan stopped abruptly. “Minho… can you bring some gas masks also?”

Lee Know raised an eyebrow in confusion, but obeyed with no question, heading towards his room and meeting a frantic Seungmin in the hallway. “Come with us.”

Seungmin was skeptical but once he saw you behind him, Seungmin hesitantly nodded.

~

Both you and Seungmin followed closely behind Chan with your pistols at the ready. Lee Know covered your rear with his shotgun and a fully automated SMG holstered to his thigh.

“Chan, we’re...”

“Yeah,” Chan trailed off. “We’re going to District 9.”

“Wait… Where’s District 9?” Seungmin asked.

“No…” Lee Know breathed out, shaking his head. “This  _ is  _ District 9.”

“Masks on,” Chan ordered.

District 9 was in shambles enough as it is, but the rubble was a disguise that housed many traps to protect from intruders. But this… this was a horrid sight. You dropped to your knees gasping for air, horrendous memories flashed before you.

District 9 was a wasteland, the rubbled buildings were now floored. Nothing was left, just a thick mustard-colored fog.

You’ve seen this fog before… at the underground settlement. You remembered how it burned your lungs, how it got harder to breathe, and everything going dark. Not only that, you remembered everything else. Changbin and Felix collapsing before you and the screams. There was so much screaming. And the aftermath… the aftermath. The bodies. That woman who was bound with her skin melting off.

“Y/N? Y/N!” Seungmin held you by the shoulders and shook you lightly as Lee Know knelt beside him and fastened the gas mask over your face.

“Welcome… to District 9,” Chan stated…. Almost painfully.

“What happened?” Lee Know asked incredulously and in horror. “I’ve never seen this toxic gas before.”

“The truth,  _ Chan, _ ” Seungmin growled. “Now.”

** _“We can’t win.” _ **

[ _ **[Vote Here]** _ ](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-SpSOpUaFdgkEXXl8CkP5IxxJEMSdIaSNTUsmeTqTfI/edit)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole situation with Woojin is upsetting as it does include sensitive topics. While it's all just mere allegations, the idea of WJ doing all of what is mentioned is deeply upsetting. However, I would rather accidentally support a liar than a s*xual predator. He wasn't my bias per se, but he was high up there. But don't worry Stays, you shouldn't feel bad for supporting him back then, because there's no way you would've known.  
But now Stray Kids is 8 and we should trust in them.
> 
> On another note, I do have a chapter dedicated to WJ in this story written after the announcement of his departure from the group. While I do understand that the WJ I portray is merely a character for fictional purposes, but with respect to my readers, would you prefer that chapter to remain in the story or for me to take it down altogether?
> 
> Let me know in the link I've posted at the end of the chapter.


	44. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the last few chapters, this story had revolved mainly around 3 characters, Y/N, Seungmin, and Chan. This chapter is to bring perspective in the other member's stance. Rather than Ch22 where each member was lightly grazed over from a point of a narrator, an outsider looking in. This time it shows the other member's personal feelings.
> 
> Pay attention to how they're feeling... because once you choose a side, only certain members will join you.

Chan's confession felt haunting. Dread and despair quickly flooded in. It felt suffocating as if gravity exponentially increased. It seemed everyone else felt the same. The same horror, the same realization as Chan uttered out the words like dropping a bomb. It was only a matter of time before the bomb exploded in their faces.

"W-what? What do you mean we can't win?"

Chan's eyes gravitated towards a ruined building as if the rubble was more interesting than the moment they're currently in. Your eyes gravitated all over the place, the air around you is smoggy, tinted a nauseating mustard green. The gas was so dense it blotted out the night sky, not even the moon's bright light can pierce through the death cloud.

The once ubiquitous buildings that had long since been reduced to mere skeletons of the glory it used to be repurposed to act as a haven, a saving grace for the people who have nothing. District 9, despite the dark and brooding atmosphere, it was a sign of life, a new start. It was hope. It's dark, run-down and full of traps, some owned by Stray Kids, others… who knows? But the torn down walls and hidden underground shelters held more security than the well guarded authoritarian "inside."

But now…

It's all gone.

The already ruined buildings have now been reduced to mere dust and ashes, rubbles that have little meaning despite the overbearing emotional weight of what felt to be two different lifetimes, now reduced to mere voices that would no longer make a sound.

It is a ghost town, the only living beings are the four present. As time passed, the uneasiness grew. The next thing on the line, the one that is most directly affecting them, trust.

Trust can not be easily bought or gained. Money only sways but doesn't solidify. Trust had to be built over time and maintained to last a lifetime, else it all crumples to the ashes like District 9 before the group. Trust was barely wrapped between what remained of the group, holding onto dear life and the lines between the "good" and "bad" are now blurred, smudged, and wiped away from existence only leaving being an unsightly grey smear in this false white canvas world of trust and false hope.

Before, the only true test bestowed on this fragile trust was the identity of the traitor within. It wasn’t that long ago but the situation now before them made even that look like a minor inconvenience.

Tensions grew between the four. One's hands are so firmly tightened and gripped that the knuckles are as white as snow. One unconsciously gravitated towards another, desperate to pull the one he cared about the most away to hide them away from this world as long as they're safe. While the one who built the trust and maintained it from the ground up, like the trust, is now barely holding on by the seams. Overarching pressures of the feeling of failure of protecting them all and the grief of not being able to keep Stray Kids together are pulling the thread of trust (and the leader's sanity) at opposite ends threatening to snap that line altogether.

He was supposed to be the leader. His face was already hidden by the protective gas mask but posture explains all, his head was slumped down and all he could do was curl into himself unable to face his team that he swore to lead and protect, unable to face reality.

No one dared make a move. No one dared to make a sound or even utter a single word. Seungmin's fingers intertwined with yours softly. The light connection was enough to send the message across: fear. 

And yet.

You couldn't budge. Your feet felt rooted to the ground. Perhaps it would be better if the ground opened up and swallowed you whole.

But of course, it wouldn't be that easy.

Reality never allows it to be easy.

Elsewhere, others are suffering. Pain and grief are infectious like a disease. It spreads from person to person even when they're not in contact but within the same vicinity.

Grief should never be dealt with alone. Like a disease, it eats away at the mind, body, and soul leaving nothing but a mere husk, a numbness that would never go away. Seo Changbin didn't flinch. He didn't even feel the alcohol-soaked gauze pressed against the open mass of skin. He didn't feel the medic's harsh presses of the fingers. In fact, he couldn't tell you if Hyunjin was giving his usual rough treatment as a silent lecture of not taking care of themselves. Despite Hyunjin's protests and words of disgust, disdain, and most importantly, annoyance of "extra work" every time they're injured, he cares… in a way.

All that filled Changbin's mind was your revelation, the "truth" he'd been trying to build for a year gone. Crushed and crumpled to dust blown away by the wind. A "truth" he'd been trying to articulate to justify the death of his long time baby faced friend, a friend he'd risked his neck for to save… knowing he would do the same… and he did.

It had been so easy. It was too easy for Changbin to point fingers at Chan. He had only been deluding himself that Chan being the enemy was the truth, grasping at mere straws to build a strawman's argument and that the truth always came to light.

That was the beauty of truth. That is why liars always try to suppress and block out the truth, to hide away the light so everyone remains in darkness, too blind to know what's right.

He was right about one thing. 

The truth always came up and for him, that truth was that he failed to protect Yang Jeongin, the person he called friend, especially when he was the one that extinguished that flame.

However, another person filled his thoughts, Lee Felix. He'd gotten closer with the boy during the year. Since the Aussie's best friend from childhood disappeared and his other friend from high school and beyond was locked away in his room, Felix had been quite… lonely. Out of those remaining: the apathetic medic, the mysterious reserved cleric of various smoke, toxins, and gas, and the stoic weapons dealer, Felix gravitated towards the one that was… least intimidating... in his eyes at least.

His memory wandered back to what happened mere hours early. The always airheaded Felix was blissfully ignorant and unaware of the hostile atmosphere, too distracted, and lulled by the mere idea that the family was back together.

At least one person had the innocence they all wished remained within them, the same innocence he saw that day when he saw the young red-headed kid in the black market hidden away in the dark alleys, the same innocence that sparkled in the youngest's eyes when he ogled that sniper rifle. Changbin didn't know how he didn't notice it before… all he knew that despite the numbness, a flash of fear coursed through his veins.

He had already lost Jeongin… he can't lose Felix also.

There was another who was hurting, one whose image he'd built up since the early days had been stained and tarnished. The always apathetic without a shred of care towards human life Hwang Hyunjin now had a typhoon of emotions swirling within him. It was a constant pushing and pulling between apathy and the increasingly overpowering emotion of empathy.

Hyunjin didn't  _ want  _ to care but not even he can stop the wandering thoughts of care and concern. All because of a headstrong, indecisive, and most definitely, stubborn you and a kindhearted dimple smile leader that always held out an open hand, a hand that never presented itself throughout Hyunjin's life. It was enough to put a crack through Hyunjin's walls of apathy. The building pressures of each member's lives slowly extinguishing left his previous lit room to slowly be enveloped by the imminent darkness, the locking away of their leader, and the disappearance of you was almost,  _ almost  _ too much to bear. 

However, seeing you again after the year of nothing but pure darkness and staring at your screen silently hoping it would flicker green signifying your peak physical condition… but never did was enough to tear down his walls, completely letting emotion completely take over.

He felt vulnerable and so small.

He felt…  _ scared _ as if he was a deer with a leg painfully trapped within the metal teeth of a trap set by a hunter fearfully awaiting its end.

His body didn't feel as if his own. His legs felt like jello and his hands never stopped shivering. Not even he noticed that his touch was light,  _ too  _ light for his standard of treatment as he treated the weapon dealer's stab wound. His mind was too clouded by emotion that he didn't notice the familiar shape of the wound, caused by a weapon owned by the one he wouldn't admit being weak to.

He didn't regret storming into Chan's room that day demanding to be your next mission partner. He didn't regret yelling at you. He didn’t regret his harsh words. He didn't regret "babysitting" you as he'd like to call it your last mission.

He did have one regret though. Han Jisung. The first flame that had been snuffed. They never saw eye to eye, always spitting words at each other and occasionally throwing hands. Not even he could deny the lingering connection between them. Who knows? If he had lived long enough, they might have become friends… but that was left to the imagination now.

For a while, Hyunjin merely brushed off his death just treating it as if a fleeting moment that could easily be forgotten. It wasn't his lack of emotion that scared him. He feared nothing, not even death, but his thoughts gravitating towards whether or not Jisung's life would've been spared had he just listened to the man? That. That was what scared him.

_ 'At least it wasn't you,'  _ he tried to tell himself, but that thought, that weakness towards you… also scared him.

Even now, he still worried about you. Seungmin's words of your declining health never left his mind.

Perhaps it was time to face his fears. 

And lastly, the group's main hitman, Lee Felix. It's ironic really. His main role is to off people and he's good at it,  _ really  _ good at it. But what was he afraid of? Death? Certainly not. That was something they've all grown to accept when they signed up for this.

What was he scared of then? Himself. When he fights… or kills… but more specifically, presented with the sight of blood, he loses himself. He becomes a monster. The extinguishing of a life was like a drug, it was addicting. It filled him with life until his body overflowed with euphoria practically glowing the moment after a kill. 

Remaining ignorant at first was something he couldn't help. In his younger years, he was naive. Naive and gullible, easily swayed by Seungmin's carefully articulated words and Jisung's honey words laced with venomous deceit. But now, being blissfully ignorant was a conscious decision. Nothing scared him more than himself. Well, except one thing: losing everything he's come to know, his family. He'd rather be blissfully unaware grasping at the false hope that the family will always be together, that Stray Kids would always be together than face reality and realize that it's all falling apart at the seams.

But like all innocence in this world, it will eventually be corrupted and tainted black, never to return to the brilliant white it used to be. Despite how hard you try, it will always be a light grey at best.

Felix's hands were shaky as he entered Chan's room. The door had been left ajar when 4 of them left earlier. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he pushed open the creaking door. The hinges wailed and pierced through the silent room. Felix winced fearing as if the creaking gave away his entire position. He'd never been terribly good at stealth. You'd think by now he's accepted his nagging anxiety of always blowing their entire cover due to his clumsy self. That wasn't the case. Felix's teeth were clenched and gritted together as his sidestepped into the room, not wanting to move the door anymore as his stomach did acrobatics within him.

The first thing he'd noticed was the mattress with a large dark stain in the center. The reality of his close Aussie friend had settled in, shaking the younger Aussie to the core. Chan had been sleeping the entire time and judging by the dark stain, he hadn't been keeping up with his personal hygiene either. Felix worried whether he had gone fully unhinged. The thought alone was enough to turn his stomach and he swallowed the wave of nausea away.

Felix wishes he could've been a better friend. He  _ should've  _ been a better friend, but he was too busy being blissfully ignorant of the collapsing reality around him. He should've barged in, he could've but he didn't. He should've stepped in and made sure his hyung was functioning as a human being at the very least. But he didn't.

He painfully tore his gaze away from the mattress and quickly spotted the discarded laptop on the floor. He recognized it to be Chan's old laptop, specifically the one he always carried on his person during school. Last he'd heard about it was Chan saying that he gave Jisung the fun of destroying it since the squirrel had been itching to cause destruction. So why was it here….? 

A tiny voice clawed within his brain.

_ Don't touch it. _

_ Leave it alone. _

_ It's too dangerous. _

But what was more dangerous? Felix had to decide. Knowing the truth or not knowing the truth?

Despite the difficult choice, only one seemed obvious.

Felix needed to face reality now… before it all completely fell apart.

~

Lee Know made the first move. His body suddenly jerked into attention as if he'd been tased. His fingers shook and his entire body shivered. His hands immediately flew behind his head. His fingers pulled and fiddled with the straps of his gas mask behind his head. He was desperate to get it off, he had to know what this gas was.

As if setting off a chain reaction, Lee Know's panicked removal of the mask was enough to incite fear within you. The imaginary roots holding you down released their grip as you quickly bolted towards Lee Know. Consequently, Seungmin tried to grab at your arm in reaction to you quickly leaving his field of vision in a flit of panic.

You jumped to your toes to reach the arms of the taller man.

"No no no no," you pleaded like a mantra. Lee Know turned towards you as you pushed him backward, causing him to stumble on a piece of rubble causing you both to fall. Lee Know's back collided with the remnants of a wall and you fell sprawled atop his body. His eyes were wide as his hands firmly gripped your wrists and both your hands desperately pushed the mask against his face.

"W-what are you doing?" you stuttered. Your words were shaky as fear of possibly losing another life overtook you like a storm.

"I'm immune to poison-"

"You don't know that!" you tried to interject. Hyunjin's meddling may have mutated Lee Know's body to have a more robust immune system that can combat even the most venomous of poisons. You just can't risk losing him… you can't lose another one or else… you would've gone mad.

"Please…" you hiccuped. Your sobs were getting caught in your throat as tears came down your face in streams. Snot was bubbling in your nostrils as you fully broke down on top of him. The three males merely looked at you in shock, unable to do anything, not knowing what to do at all.

You couldn't wipe your face at all thanks to the gas mask shielding you from the toxic smog. You could taste the pitiful sourness of your snot mixed with the saltiness of your tears gathered on your lips. 

Chan was the one who broke the silence. He was the leader after all… well, the leader of… something, but he still had the most authority of the four present.

The leader always had the most difficult of jobs. Even if he failed at keeping his little family together and protecting them, the little family he carefully picked out and nurtured, and single-handedly destroying the trust he built with them, there was one final thing Chan could at least do as a leader: making the difficult decision so they wouldn't have to.

Chan forcefully swallowed the lump in his throat. He should have been more open, he should've been open from the start. Instead, he played with technicality and vagueness, shielding his precious members from the truth but still keeping them in the loop, thinking it would protect them, thinking it would provide them comfort and security. After all, it was a dangerous world they live in.

If only he knew back then how so very wrong he was.

But now, he had to let it out. They deserved to know.

"We can't win," Chan echoed his words from earlier. "District 9 is only one of many. The other mafias, the other hidden bunkers of people… just anyone who showed signs of defection and criticism of the inside… all gone… lost within this horrid putrid…" Chan sobbed, the thread finally snapped under the pressure. His small form became even smaller if that was possible as sobs took over his body.

That was it.

That was  _ his  _ truth.

Chan's truth.

They can't win and it was only a matter of time… before they're next.

But is his truth…. Your truth?

The truth is a wonderful thing. The truth could be compared to a rose. When exposed to light and nourished, it will flourish. Cover it in darkness it will wilt and die away. But like all roses, they're beautiful to look at… but they always have their thorns that cut back.

But also like roses, they can also be replanted and regrown in sowed lands in the minds of those willing to accept and nourish it, allowing it to bloom once more.

Which is why… the truth always comes to light.

But what is the truth?

** _Despite whatever actions one takes justified by whatever one thinks is morally right and just, you will always be the villain in someone else's story._ **

This is  ** _your _ ** truth.

**So what do you want to do?**

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	45. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partially proofread, but it's 4 AM and I'm tired LOL
> 
> Fun Fact: When I was drafting this chapter, Google Docs decided to pull a fast one and delete a whole ass page. :)  
Thanks Google

The silence that followed felt deafening. It was a loud silence. Nothing was said, no sound was uttered save for the soft hiccuping of the two currently breaking down. Minho hesitantly released his grip. He reached behind your sobbing figure, hover handing over your back. His fingers grazed your back as if testing the waters. The feather-light touch caused a shiver to run down your spine. He then fully placed his palm on your back, rubbing soft circles. The warmth flowed through your body soothing your emotional outburst. You leaned back, his hand trailing to your side in the process.

“Are you alright?” He asked silently.

You sniffled, nodding softly.

“Come on,” Seungmin whispered out, reaching out for you and hooking his hands under your arms. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Lee Know hesitated and held a firm grasp on your wrist. His eyes were glaring daggers towards the untrustworthy demolitionist behind you. His eyes mirrored the expression but with a hint more disgust.

No words were said, but the eyes said all. Seungmin threatened the elder to let go, in which Lee Know's eyes darkened in disagreement. The previously icy atmosphere between the now tattered gang had now evolved to an ugly animosity where even close friends and allies, nay family, now turned on each other.

You gulped, noticing the hostile atmosphere surrounding you, quickly squirmed out of their grasp and made your way towards the curled up leader on the ground, causing the two to deadpan at you incredulously.

"Chan?" You whispered, your hand provided a comforting warmth on his shoulder, a warmth that spread throughout his body that was enough to calm his racing heart.

"Let's-let's get out of here," you suggested to which he nodded.

The walk back to the base wasn't any better. There was an uncomfortable distance between you all. The only physical closeness was you supporting Chan's weight over your shoulders as his feet stumbled across the ground and struggled to take one cohesive step after another. Lee Know and Seungmin refused to walk remotely near each other or even spare a small glance to the other. The only commonality between the two was the death glare towards Chan's back.

Before the thread of trust was loosely holding them all together is now itself unraveling. The end is frayed and in almost disrepair as each strand of the now uncoiled thread is hanging onto dear life to each of the remaining members.

Felix was the one who greeted them upon their arrival. His face was drained of all color and was as white as a freshly pressed and washed linen sheet. His eyes wandered to the four of you, to which no other pair wanted to meet his frantic gaze. Felix bowed his head as the reality he knew it was unraveling before his eyes. He stood aside allowing the four of you in. Lee Know pushed in first despite being the furthest back, purposefully shoving his shoulder into Chan. Seungmin followed but didn't enter. Instead, he stood behind you and rested a protective hand on the small of your back. 

Felix, now painfully aware of the situation, noticed the dying trust between them all, the bond they all once shared now faded away from existence.

But still, he refused to let go of the small shred of innocence within and gravitated towards his Australian friend, bringing the elder into his arms into a light and awkward embrace. Chan immediately latched onto the younger, his arms wrapped around Felix's smaller ones, and sobbed into the crook of the younger's neck. Felix's bottom lip protruded and quivered from raw emotion as his eyes glossed over and buried his face into Chan's neck as well.

You immediately backed away and took your place by Seungmin's side and merely watched the emotional spectacle before you, but felt too numb from everything to feel anything. It was an overpowering numbness, the idea of just sleeping it all away looked more appealing than just doing anything at all. Your body slumped as you leaned your head onto Seungmin's shoulder. Seungmin stiffened slightly at the action and glanced at the top of your head with an unreadable expression.

The two pairs stayed in their position for a while, reveling in this false peace, the quiet before the storm because they all know that after whatever is happening next, nothing will ever be the same again.

You were the first to make a move. separating yourself from Seungmin to trudge inside, wanting nothing more than to just lie down. The overwhelming feeling of nausea consumed you once more. The feeling of anxiety and despair became too overbearing to the point where it's affecting you physically. Seungmin grasped your forearm firmly stopping you in your tracks. He looked deeply into your eyes and shook his head, not wanting you to step in there. He wanted to just leave and hide you away like he'd done the past year. He didn't want to come back here. He didn't want  _ you _ to come back here. 

He would be lying if he said the strange neutral animosity you had against him throughout the year didn't affect him. While your distrust was warranted, he had bet on the idea that the history shared between the two would help you understand. However, your opinion on him was constantly in a swing state at one point you saw him for who he was, and other, the enemy that you had portrayed in your mind.

It left a coil around his heart, a coil of barbed wire wrapped around his heart that tightened whenever you tore your gaze away from him. Like you did now. Your dull grey eyes tore their gaze from his and shrugged off his hold to walk into the base. He frowned as he felt the familiar squeezing around his heart again as he trailed after you like a lost puppy.

The familiar sight now felt haunting. Upon entering, they’re greeted with a dimly lit lounge area with several couches decorating the center. You stumbled over a free couch and faceplant into the grey cushions. You inhaled deeply, catching hints of the familiar mangle of scents that reminded of a life they used to live. A little of each member’s unique scent and colognes could be detected. Seungmin took his seat by your legs, lifting them up, bending them at the knee to slide under and rest your legs over his lap. Lee Know was sprawled over a couch, arms crossed behind his head and his legs were crossed. His mask was still on, but you can see that his eyes were closed through the glass. Soon after, Hyunjin quietly made his way into the lounge. His now blonde hair is free from its binding and is falling over his eyes. He used the armrest of Lee Know’s couch to support himself and sit atop the headrest of the couch. Not long after, Felix and Chan walked in and sat on the ottoman. Chan is still latched onto Felix like a koala and light sniffles could be heard. Finally, a bandaged up Changin trudged in. His eyes met Seungmin’s. Seungmin sheepishly looked away rubbing the back of his neck. And finally, Changbin plopped himself on the free couch. The seven of them sat in silence, without saying a word, without making a single sound.

It was the closest they could get to the life they had before. Despite the animosity and the dying bond, they all reveled in this false sense of normality like nothing ever happened. They could play it off as if the others were just on a mission and would return soon.

Lee Know was the first to make a move, albeit he just merely turned to his side, facing into the couch and propping his head up with an arm folded under. Changbin inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest and exhaled a little too loudly. The weapon dealer’s eyes trailed over to the demolitionist who is obviously uncomfortable being there, especially their encounter mere hours earlier. Seungmin’s eyes were glued to the floor as he absentmindedly rubbed small circles on your ankles with his thumbs. Changbin couldn’t bring himself to hate the younger. Despite being stabbed by the knife, it was as if the anger filtered out with the blood that drained. He had time alone with his thoughts. If he thought about it, he was just doing what everyone else is: whatever he felt was right.

Seungmin glanced up having felt his 6th sense tingling of someone having their eyes on him. He met the elder’s eyes, glancing away momentarily in nervousness and meeting his gaze once more. Changbin merely nodded to the younger, deciding to forgive him not necessarily because he  _ forgave _ him. Rather, Changbin spent too long pointing fingers at everyone else, but never stopped to point the finger to himself. They’ve all made questionable decisions that had negative consequences that bit them in the ass, but now the stakes were way higher and the consequences last forever.

“Why’d you do it?” Changbin was the first to speak.

Seungmin merely glazed at Chan who was dozing off on the younger.

“Because he wasn’t good enough.”

Changbin let out a huff that could easily be mistaken for a low chuckle, maybe it was. It was that he can agree with while he disagreed with everything else.

And with that, it all plunged into silence again.

“So what do we do now,” Hyunjin spoke out meekly. Everyone who wasn’t face down or dozing off, stared incredulously at the medic. It was such out of character, a complete opposite from the snappy yet well-composed medic they’ve always known. No one expected him of all people to break, to look like the smallest and meekest one there.

“Whatever they want,” Chan stirred and pointed at you who was currently face down on the couch. “I’m no longer qualified to take charge...and I… apologize. It’s all up to Y/N now.”

“What?!” you croak out, shooting up almost comically.

It was then Lee Know finally stirred to face you. He sat up and pulled the mask off his face, letting the protective wear slide from his fingers and plop down to the floor with a light thud.

“Whatever it is you choose, I’ll be by your side,” he smiled assuredly.

“Well…,” you trailed off, glancing at each of the remaining members and taking in their somber looks. The trust wasn’t there anymore so anything with regards to coordination was definitely out of the question. It would be a miracle if they could operate like a well-oiled machine like they used to or at least a rusty yet usable machine. 

“I guess we wait…?” 

“We wait?” Changbin repeated. “So you’re basically giving up?”

“Well.. we can’t be too hasty-”

“You want us to sit around and die?”

“No! I- We need to see what’s going to happen nex-” not even you sound convincing to yourself. 

“No!” Changbin stood abruptly cutting you off, stomping towards you. Seungmin shot up and stood in front, protecting you from his advances.

“Do what you want, I’m not staying here.”

“Changbin,” Lee Know spoke up.

“No!” Changbin snapped towards the elder, hellbent on his decision. “Come on, Felix.”

Felix’s mouth gaped open, wanting to say something but couldn’t. Felix froze, feeling his feet cementing him in his spot. Felix’s mouth kept opening and closing, unable to articulate any words. Familiar stinging came up behind his eyes as his eyes glossed over.

“It’s ok, Felix,” the fellow Australian spoke up, sitting up and putting a small distance between them. 

Felix felt his heart dropping to his stomach. “But- but,‘

“Come on,” Changbin grabbed him firmly by the arm and hoisted him up. “We’re leaving.”

“No-No...” Felix kept whipping his head between Changbin and Chan as Changbin pulled him away. “Chan hyung!”

Felix struggled against Changbin’s stronger hold as he was pulled further and further away. Chan merely gave an apologetic smile to the younger who kept reaching for him.

“We- we can’t leave him, Changbin hyung, please,” Felix begged, hot tears were rolling down his cheeks. Everyone else looked away in pain as the scene played out before them. Lee Know glanced away with his bottom lip captured in between his teeth. Hyunjin merely gazed at the wall, examining the small details and the dust as if it was the most interesting thing in the world with a hand held up blocking his peripheral view. Seungmin’s hands were clasped and gripped tightly, his knuckles were as white as sheets indicating how firm his grip was.

Felix’s voice was loud and strained, oozing out pure devastating panic and heartbreak. 

“CHRIS!” and all Chan could do was offer him a small smile, silently assuring the younger that it was ok until the pair disappeared behind the door with Changbin closing the door shut behind him.

Chan was the next to make a move. The ex-leader stood up from where he stood, head hung low with his back slouch. A pathetic sight. Chan was a shadow of his former self. He used to stand with purpose with his calculative mind always running and always so sure. Now he’s just tired and overall… pathetic.

“And where are you going?” Lee Know asked darkly, voiced laced with annoyance. 

Chan turned and offered a small smile, “I’m going to sleep.” And off he went, trudging into the darkness disappearing within the depths of the hallway, but this time unlike hours before, Lee Know let him go off to sleep.

And then there were four.

Silence fell between the four again. Hyunjin got up from his seat at the head of the chair Lee Know was occupying and sat himself on the now free couch that Changbin was previously occupying. Hyunjin pulled his legs in and rested them in a crossed position before running his fingers through his long strands of hair. You then sat up fully, leaning back against the couch, turning and swinging your legs off of Seungmin’s lap so your feet rested against the floor.

“Got any thoughts, Hwang?” Lee Know spat out, a growing annoyance brewed within him with an obvious scowl.

The medic merely twiddled his thumbs together, obviously lost in the situation. Out of the four there, he was the only one in the dark. He didn’t know of Seungmin’s defection. Even then it was so out of character for him to be at a loss of words. Normally he would be the snappy one, not Lee Know who is currently on the way there.

“No...” he breathed out, voice small and barely audible.

“Can we talk?” Seungmin glanced at you.

“Shoot.”

“ _ Alone, _ ” Seungmin clarified.

You let out a sigh, not wanting to move from your position. Your hands found their way into the front pocket of your hoodie. Your fingers were fiddling with each other until it rubbed against something cool. Instinctively, you pulled it out to gaze at the item. It was Jisung’s metal claws. Your fingers rubbed at the metal while your thumb trailed along the curvature and prodding lightly at the tip of the claw leaving an oil smear of your prints behind. You let out another huff, before sliding your hand back in, gathering all the metal pieces and slamming it a little too harshly on the table in front of you before abruptly standing. You gazed at Seungmin and nodded before he stood and joined you walking off to the side.

Lee Know and Hyunjin couldn’t tear their gazes off of the familiar claws. So much for living out the fantasy of playing it off that the members were just gone on a mission, the full weight of them actually being gone now hit them like a train.

At least Jisung can rest now, safe at base… on the table.

Seungmin then tossed Jeongin’s grapple hook that he unstrapped from his arm on the table next to the claws.

At least they were both finally  _ home. _

“Are we really going to stay?” Seungmin asked quietly once they were a fair distance away.

“I want to...” you trailed off gazing over at the two males seated at the center of the room.

“We can’t stay, it isn’t safe here.”

“It isn’t safe out there!” you interjected, dramatically waving at the door.

“You saw what happened to District 9, you heard what Chan said. We are not staying here!” His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to convince you.

“And you can’t decide for me! It’s always ‘we’ and ‘us’ while I have no say. I still don’t know if you could still be trusted after what you pulled,  _ Desert Fox. _ ” You snapped, putting emphasis on the name venom was dripping from your words.

Seungmin frowned, hurt flashed through his features at the fact you still saw him as an enemy. 

“I know you’re a master manipulator, we’ve been working together for too long. You know how to string people along with words and gently coerce them into doing things your way...”

Seungmin opened his mouth to interject, but you raised a hand to stop him. He was good at manipulation, you were good at analyzing facial features and expressions.

“A clever manipulation trick, a subtle attempt of promising a ‘we’ when it was only just yo-.”

“I LOVE YOU!” he dropped the bomb, silencing you mid-sentence. His confession was raw and filled with frustration, the frustration of having his feeling bottled up and held back behind a massive floodgate. The year of you teeter-tottering around your feelings towards him wore down the floodgates, causing cracks and weaknesses. It was now where it broke and overflowed. His booming voice was enough to echo throughout the silent base. The echoes of ‘I love yous’ rang heavily in your ears. You awkwardly gaze back at the males who were both staring with wide eyes at the outburst.

“I did it all for you-” you slapped him. The sound of the impact was loud enough to echo throughout the halls. His face turned to the side, his cheek slowly flushing red from the impact. His eyes were wide as heat from the impact spread throughout the left side of his face. Your left hand gently caressed his other cheek, bringing it to face you as you gently rest your other hand on his other cheek, cupping them.

“Wha-”

You cut him off as you leaned in, pecking his lips lightly. It was a light graze, but it was enough to spread a comforting warmth within you. It satisfied your teetering feelings of whether to see him as a traitor or the Seungmin you’ve always known. He blinked at you, caught off guard from the sudden action. You gently caressed his cheeks with your thumbs, rubbing it gently back and forth. For once in a year, you can finally see him for who he was, Kim Seungmin, the little shit that always got on your nerves and locking you in that dumb basement room, the one where you sat atop the rooftops looking out over the walls from the inside beneath the night sky, relishing in each other's warmth.

“We’re staying,” you whispered, leaning your forehead against his. Your heart swelled with emotion, saying ‘we’ spread a warmth of completion throughout

“No...we’re not,” he whispered in return, placing his hand over yours.

You slowly backed away, looking at him solemnly.

“Then leave,” you retracted your hands and folded them close to your body, walking towards the other two.

Seungmin’s face fell as your words cut him deep.

“Then promise me one thing,” he called out to your body walking away. “Promise me you’ll live.”

You didn’t answer and continued your walk.

“I’ll come back for you, that’s my promise,” he whispered, mainly to himself, but your ears picked up his hushed whispers as he turned to rush out the door. His footsteps echoed through the base, each sound seemed to hammer the nail further and further in.

Maybe staying wasn’t exactly a good choice, you thought. But it was a fleeting thought as you sat back down on the couch you were previously on.

And then there were three.

You already knew of Lee Know’s resolve, but not for the last.

“Hyunjin?” you said. He visibly flinched upon hearing his name. “Are… you alright?”

Hyunjin’s eyes looked panicked as he bit the tip of his thumb.

“Does this have something to do about earlier,” Lee Know spoke out, Hyunjin shied away at the question. “Emotions don’t make you weak, they make you human.”

“Say… Say that for yourself...” Hyunjin whispered. His voice was quiet and meek as if he was attempting to act like the Hyunjin we always knew. He tried to snap back with his sassy remark, voice laced with sharpness and a cunning edge, but now he just looks like a boy attempting to stand up for himself but is visibly shaking.

Hyunjin glances at you, with a hint of longing hidden within his irises clouded by confusion. Lee Know glances at you with equal fondness hidden away in his eyes, hidden behind his emotionless facade.

“Hyunjin… you can leave if you want. It’s your choice,” you spoke out. “You can leave also, Minho. I won’t blame you.”

“Y/N, no,” he spoke out sternly. “You go, I go.”

Hyunjin nodded in agreement. “Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t get shot again for the millionth time,” he chuckled dryly, trying to keep up his act but failing. 

“So what do you want to do?” Lee Know spoke out.

At this point, your brain is practically muddled, unable to form a coherent thought. The fatigue began to seep in and flow through your body, wanting nothing more than to sleep.

“Can we… pretend...” they both perked up. “Can we pretend that nothing’s wrong… even for just a moment?”

Lee Know and Hyunjin shared a look and came to a silent agreement, nodding softly.

“I just want to take a quick nap,” you muttered, feeling your eyes droop, the need for sleep overpowered your senses. 

“Go ahead, you need it,” Hyunjin encouraged. “I’ll- … We’ll be here.”

“Alright, sure,” Lee Know smiled softly, standing up. “I’ll… warm up some canned food.”

You smiled softly, reveling in this false peace and prosperity before it all fades away. You leaned onto your forearms, your fingers dragged across the velvet material of the couch, reminiscing the memories made on the couch as you lulled yourself to sleep with the familiar mingled scent of them all combined, faintly picking each member’s distinct natural scent and cologne. The faint sound of the food sizzling filled your ears and you could almost hear Lee Know be visibly stressed out about Jisung’s inability to not burn down the base and promptly takes over at the stove, Felix’s cackle at the elder Australian for something along the lines of taking his sausage and Seungmin nagging Jeongin for his inability to use a kitchen knife while Changbin sulks in the corner after losing a nail-biting tense battle of rock, paper, scissors to do the dishes. You smiled fondly at the memory as you finally drifted off into a dreamless slumber, the first time in a year you’ve gotten good sleep.

You’d always had great hearing, the uncanny trained ability to pick up the slightest of sounds and filter out others. Useful for stealth missions, awful for naps. A pen could be dropped two rooms over and your trained ears will hear it. Despite your slumbered state, you can hear the little excursions of Lee Know and Hyunjin walking around each other and their attempt at conversation.

However, your ears picked up the sound of something… that didn’t quite fit.

A gentle metal clinking, a loose thin metal tapping against something of a similar composition followed by a high pitched ping.

But then… there were several.

Just multiple sounds similar to metal buttons clicking, then followed with various consecutive arrays of pings and high pitch  _ CLINGS. _

You shot up from your sleep, your hands pushing you up into a pushup position, your back aching from the uncomfortable and sudden arch. Your heart fell into your stomach as your eyes caught sight of a metal object being thrown in, one of many. Your eyes were wide and blown out as they all seemed to come in in slow motion. A metal cylindrical canister, grey with a white patch to indicate a label, but greyed and scratched off. It rotated as the dark grey slider slid off, a thick smoke oozed from the top. It was colored a hauntingly familiar color, a color you know all too well: a mustard yellow-green. It clattered on the concrete floor, bouncing and spinning to where you were. The gas came out in a steady stream of ugly green, spiraling from the canister spinning. And then there were more, much more being tossed in. Each erupted into a similar dark smoke.

“Sh-Shit!” you cursed out in panic, your heart was beating rapidly in your chest.

You let out a loud scream when a pair of hands immediately wrapped around your neck firmly forcing your chin up while another was covering your mouth from behind. You struggled against the grip as your view was momentarily blackened as the hands slid the gas mask over your face. A hand held it tightly against you as the other released your chin to tighten the straps behind your head.

“We need to get out of here,” Lee Know’s voice spoke out urgently. 

The dark gas very rapidly filled the room as it rose. The dimly lit room that used to be a slight iridescent blue from the fading LED lights is now tinted yellow. The yellow mustard gas surrounded you and pooled at your body.

“We can’t leave this way,” Hyunjin spoke out urgently, a hand flying up to cover his nose and mouth. “They’re here… there’s too many. We have to leave from the back.”

“They’re… here?” you spoke out in horror. The inside. They’re here. While you’ve never seen the pawns of their will, you knew they were plentiful and powerful, dressed in a clean bleached white from head to toe without a single spot of skin exposed save from the eyes seen behind their translucent goggles. They were too big and too powerful, you knew that. Running was the only choice if you were to cross them. You also knew they were cruel and heartless, agents of this tyranny, stripped of their humanity only left with a puppet that exercised this inhumane power. 

Lee Know cursed under his breath. The other exits could be only reached by the upper balconies of these warehouses… but the ladder was in disrepair. Seungmin never fixed it.

“Hyunjin!” Lee Know ordered, the younger snapped his gaze towards him. ”Move the couches, we need to reach the upper balconies!”

The younger nodded, rushing towards the couch you were previously on, you now having jumped off, and began pushing. Lee Know and you also got to work pushing the couches to the corner to stack them.

The mustard gas filled the room more than ever, it was now at your waist level. You hissed, feeling your legs go tingly and burned slightly at the sensation. 

Shit. 

Not only was it very toxic, it was also corrosive. It was a matter of time before it began eating away at your clothes, your skin, and your muscles leaving nothing but a chemically burned skeleton with your innards melted away. 

Sweat rolled down your temples and your heart continued jackhammering within your chest. With firmly planted feet, you used your legs as leverage to push the heavy furniture to where Hyunjin pushed his. A coughing fit erupted behind you.

“Minho!” you called out, turning to face him. 

Lee Know had doubled over, collapsed fully on his hand and knees. His entire form was now under the now rapidly rising smog. He was coughing his lungs out into the crook of his elbow, every deep breath was followed by a series of hacking and coughing. The devastating truth settled in.

Lee Know wasn’t immune to this gas.

“Minho!” you whimpered, rushing to his side. Your frantic hands attempted to hold him up, at least get his head above the rising gas. “No no no no no.“‘

He didn’t have his gas mask, instead opting to strap it around you when the attack started. Your fingers flew behind your head to loosen the straps. “We’ll-We’ll share!”

“No!” he forced out, his large hand forcing the mask harder against your face, you could feel the framing of the mash dig into your skin, most likely going to leave an indent. “Save… yourself.”

Lee Know collapsed into your arms, his face pressed against your torso. He coughed weakly, wheezing in a dire attempt for air.

“Minho...no,” tears pricked your eyes until the dam overflowed and cascaded down your cheeks. Your arms wrapped around his weak body. Lee Know’s eyes were fluttering, unable to stay open for him. His clear skin was breaking out in hives and rashes. The redness slowly spread across his cheek and began blooming on his forehead as the corrosive gas began eating away at him.

“Minho… Minho!” you shook his shoulders in a dire attempt to keep him awake. Your fingers gripped his shoulders tightly, your knuckles turning white. You sobbed as you heard what could be described as faint hissing. Letting out a small hiccup and sniffle, you forced your eyes open. Your knuckles were burning away from the gas. The white skin burned away leaving a red rashy patch. The pain was nothing compared to the sharp knife in your heart from the man wasting away in your arms. “Minho… please. Wake up. We… We need to...” You sobbed, choking on your words.

You let out a strangled cry as the burning sensation spread throughout your entire body. Everything felt on fire. Your nerves were tingling as if there were a colony of fire ants beneath your skin biting and gnawing at your nerves and muscles.

“Y/N...” a soft voice filled your ears.

Your head snapped up in shock as your stare wide-eyed at the one in front of you who was knelt behind Lee Know’s body. You had silently prayed that Lee Know’s robust immune system would at least give him immunity, if not resistance, to this putrid gas, but not him.

“Why?” you whispered, voice broken and almost inaudible. Your gas mask muffling your voice, the thundering sounds outside and the gas hissing, it was more than likely your words were unheard.

Hwang Hyunjin gazed at you with a gaze filled purely of pain, guilt, grief, just nearly every negative emotion concentrated and muddled together in the melting pot of emotion worn on his face. Hwang Hyunjin the so-called “fallen angel” as he’s known as in the underground, surrounded by this yellow gas almost as if a ray of light was shining down on him, was knelt in front of you…  _ fully immune to the gas. _

“W..hy…?” The world grew darker around you as death’s cold embrace began to envelop you.

“I’m so sorry,” Hyunjin spoke out, voiced strained and broke. His large hands cupped your face, keeping you upright and facing him. “I’m  _ so  _ sorry.”

Your lids felt heavy, but you forced your eyes open. Even through the impending darkness, even through the blurriness of your tears and even through the yellow haze that’s now long since enveloped the entire room, you’ve seen a sight you’ve never seen: Hyunjin’s eyes were screwed shut, with his teeth gritted harshly. Even though his eyes were fully sealed shut, many, many tears were forced through the sealed lids. 

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered once more. “It’s all mine… It’s mine… I made it.”

“ _ Don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answers for. _ ” You heard Hyunjin’s voice ring softly in your ears. You hear him speak those words from that mission from back then. 

“I just wanted to be loved,” Hyunjin wept. “I just wanted my mom to love me… but she never did.” Hyunjin choked on his sobs but kept forcing his words out so that you know the truth, the  _ whole  _ truth before it was too late. “So I made the gas… to kill her, but it was… It was… but I left it, I scrapped it. It burnt it all to destroy it, so I could make a more perfect one…”

That’s how he knew fire destroyed it. 

Even though his most perfect concoction was never discovered, the one he’d use to successfully end the life he desperately craved for and  _ got away  _ with it, his “failed” concoction was found and now was used as a weapon against him, against the one he realized too late he wanted to open his heart to.

But then it was too late, your life had faded away in his arms.

“I love you,” he whimpered out, pressing his forehead against yours, sobbing profusely.

~

“NO!!!” A voice rang out through the open air.

Felix and Changbin could only watch in horror. Felix sobbed into his gag, while Changbin’s face was drained of color. The pair was bound and gagged with their arms chained behind them, forced on their knees and the men in white stood behind them with a gun pressed into the backs of their heads.

“No… I’ll kill you,” the previous voice gasped. “I’ll kill you all.”

Seungmin sobbed watching the base get enveloped by the thick yellow gas. Seungmin thrashed weakly as his wrist pulled against the chain holding them together. He squirmed and thrashed attempting to break free from the man in white held him firmly against the ground with a knee grounded at the nape of his neck. Two others stood beside him with two guns fixed on his head.

“I’ll kill all of you,” Seungmin sobbed, “Y/N...”

All Changbin and Felix could do were bow their heads in defeat as three consecutive shots ran through the air.

  
  


**And then there were none.**

  
  


**[Bad End]**

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